Dragon's War
by DragonHeart524
Summary: Ever hear you have the heart of a lion? Well, what about the heart of dragon? When a girl named Dragon Heart arrives in Domino City, things begin to happen. Strange things! Sorry the chapters are slow but I hope they're worth the wait!
1. Default Chapter

**Long Journey**

"O.K lets go over it again, what's your name?" Talon asked as he handed Dragon Heart her bag. Her black hair was blowing in the breeze a bit dramatically. Her deep blue eyes where staring into his brown ones.

"Tracy. And I'm going to see family in Domino city," Dragon Heart (or Tracy) replied.

"Great. Sorry I can't come with you, sis, but I have to keep our family thinking you're still in Egypt."

"That's O.K, I understand, and I can always call you if I need your help or something," said Tracy, smiling," One more thing: why am I going to Domino city of all the other places?"

"Because, that's where the world renowned Kiaba lives; he is known for his skill in dueling. And since his headquarters is in Domino City, dueling is very popular, and if the pharaoh dueled in the past he's probably dueling his way to the top now," explained Talon. A silence fell over them as the train squealed into the station.

"I'm going to miss you, Talon" she said quietly.

As she got on the train to go to the airport Talon waved good bye and she was off to find the pharaoh of legend.

To Tracy, the train took eternity to get to the airport. She entertained herself by drawing shadow creatures and watching scenery fly by. She remembered all that had happened and all that would probably happen. Will she ever find the pharaoh? If she does, will he help her? Where does she look first? All of these questions raced as fast as the train through her head. She had to take that train to the airport and then take the plane to another railroad then finally make it to Domino city. _What was I thinking? I've never been outside of Egypt, much less travel to a different continent! And I don't even know what the pharaoh looks like! Man, WHAT have I gotten myself into?_


	2. Meet the Pharaoh

**Meet the Pharaoh**

Tracy's trip was finally coming to an end, and she was starting to wonder where she was going to stay when it became dark. "_I've already spent a night traveling so I'm not that tired, but it is a very important issue,_" Thought Tracy,"_ And where am I supposed to get a dueling deck? "_Sigh "This is already getting hard," she whispered," and I haven't even gotten into the city yet."

"Hey there," an unknown voice called to Tracy. When she looked she saw a boy standing there. He was obviously nervous. His blond hair was short, and he had brown eyes. "What's a pretty girl like you doing on a train like this all alone?"

"I'm going to visit my family" replied Tracy monotonously. It was a good excuse, because she couldn't actually tell him the truth.

"Oh…" the boy nervously looked over his shoulder to another boy with brown hair in a seat not to far away. The brown headed boy gave a thumb's up of encouragement.

"_I_ _know what he's doing;_ _he's trying to start a conversation" _She thought,_" Oh, well I guess it's alright. At least it'll pass the time. _You can sit down if you want to." she said with a small smile on her face.

"Thanks." he said as he sat," Where does your family live?"

"In Domino city," she said as she looked out the window.

"That's cool. I'm headed to Domino city, too. My friend and I are going to challenge the 'King of Games' Yu-Gi Moto to a duel."

"'_King of Games'? That sounds like it could be the pharaoh! _Oh, really?" Tracy said, trying to sound interested.

"Yea, we've trained for it, and now we're going to beat him and become famous," He replied sounding pretty proud of himself.

"Hey, I'm kind of new at this dueling stuff, but I thought Seto Kiaba was champ?"

"He was, until he got beat by Yu-Gi. They say Yu-Gi came right out of no where and kicked Kiaba's butt."

"Wow, just like that he became a no body?" she was now very interested and didn't have to pretend.

"No. He just became the second best, but he was never the same guy. Kiaba keeps challenging Yu-Gi to duels every chance he gets, even though his deck never really changes." Just then the train pulled into the station and the whistle sounded.

"One more thing," said Tracy as they both stood up," Do you know where I could get a dueling deck?"

"Sure, you could always buy one at game shop in town. You'd have to buy the cards and put one together, though," he replied.

"Where am I supposed to get money?" she said quietly; not really expecting a reply.

"Well you could sell some of those pictures you draw," he said as he glanced at Tracy's clipboard. It was filled with pictures of dragons and other shadow creatures.

"That's a good idea, thanks…um what's you name?" asked Tracy. In all their conversations they never introduced themselves.

"The name's Mack and he's Sam," he said as he pointed back to his friend. Sam was struggling under the weight of their two bags.

"I'm Tracy, it was nice talking to you." she waved goodbye and headed into the city. _Now the first thing I need to do is find a place to draw some shadow creature pictures to sell, but there our so many which one's do I do first?_ She found that she was most comfortable by the clock square fountain, and she set up a small space. She made a colorful sign that read "Get Your Favorite Card Drawn- Very Cheep." Tracy only got a few customers when she started. She let them decide what they wanted. She drew a Blue-eyes White Dragon, Feral Imp, a Sword Hunter, and a Black Land Fire Dragon. But when the news of her talent spread, crowds flocked to her little spot by the clock to get their favorite monsters drawn by Tracy Malitarin. What was most amazing to the spectators was that she never even asked to see the card that was requested; she seemed to have them all memorized. Soon her fame spread to the "King of Games" himself.

"What's up with this crowd, Yug?" asked Joey Wheeler as they spotted the large group.

"I don't know; maybe it's a duel," Replied Yu-Gi. Yu-Gi and his three friends- Joey, Tristan, and Tea- pushed through the crowd to the front where they could see Tracy drawing a magnificent Phoenix.

"Wow, she's good at drawin' duel monsters," said Joey in amazement. Just then Tracy finished and handed the picture a small boy.

"O.K, who wants to be next," she said and everyone yelled at once," How about you?" she pointed to Yu-Gi.

"Me?" Yu-Gi replied.

"Yea, what's your name?"

"I'm Yu-Gi, but I don't have any money to pay for it."

"_Yu-Gi Moto? He's the King of Games, and he has the Millennium Puzzle, too! O.K, Dragon Heart don't make a scene, you can talk to him later,"_ thought Tracy, "If you are the real 'King of Games' I've heard so much about, that's perfectly alright."

"Hey, Yug, if you don't want ya free picture I'll take it!" said Joey with a very large grin.

"How about a Dark Magician, Yu-Gi?" asked Tea shoving Joey out of her way.

"Dark Magician it is," Tracy said. She didn't feel like waiting for Yu-Gi to make up his mind. She closed her eyes, and visualized when she was back in Egypt she summoned the Dark Magician out of the shadow realm, and he taught her his magic. Then she began to draw him in full attack.

"She is good," whispered Yu-Gi as he watched her draw every detail down to the last hair. It didn't take her very long, yet everyone was silent as she worked. Only one or two people whispered amongst themselves. She finished buy signing her name (Tracy, not Dragon Heart) at the bottom.

"All finished, here you go," she handed Yu-Gi his drawing.

"Thank you," he studied the Dark Magician. It looked as if it would move if he looked away.

"Next?" Tracy asked the crowed.

"Me! Pick Me!" Joey shouted pointing at himself. he handed her the money," Now, what to get…" he mumbled.

"How about your Red Eyes?" asked Yu-Gi, finally looking up from his Dark Magician.

"That's it! I'll take one Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"O.K." she closed her eyes again, and saw the great dragon as it was in her desert home as she flew on him over the city of Egypt. She saw his flames of darkness and his deep, scarlet eyes. Her eyes opened and she began to draw. She drew him in flight; his body stretched around the paper and his talons were sharp and extended. Flames were streaming from his jaws and his eyes seemed to glow an evil scarlet red. When she finished, she handed it to Joey with a smile.

"Dragons are my favorites," she said.

"Thanks, I like 'em to," Joey replied as he looked at the picture in amazement. It looked so real. It was like you could hear his angry cries, and feel his dark flames coming right out of the picture.

"Well, that's it. I'm closed," said Tracy, breaking Joey's trance," I need some rest from traveling." The crowd wasn't happy, but she didn't care she still needed to find her a place to stay before it got too dark. She took her things and began to walk away. _Now, where did Mack say that Game Shop was? _

"Hey, wait a sec'!" called Yu-Gi. He was running up to her

"Yes, Yu-Gi?" she turned to him.

"Thank you for the free picture. I guess I owe you one now."

"Oh, it was nothing, you deserved it. Oh, and you can call me Tracy. _He's nice. Even though he's famous he doesn't let it go to his head."_

"Where are you going to stay?" Yu-Gi asked.

"I'm not sure," Tracy said looking at the ground, "I guess I didn't think about it until it was too late."

"Well I guess you could stay at my place" replied Yu-Gi.

"Oh, that's ok, I don't want to be an inconvenience!" she really did want to stay at Yu-Gi's house, but her brother taught her to be polite to others.

"I need to repay you for the picture, and you don't have to stay forever. You only have to stay until you can find a better place."

_He has a good point. I don't have to stay forever, and I will have plenty of time to ask him about helping my family escape. _"O.K, I'll stay at your place for a few nights, but only until I can find another place to stay." they both smiled and headed for Yu-Gi's house.


	3. Busted

I know it could be a little late, but just to let you know: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anyYu-Gi-Ohcharacters.

**Busted**

"You live in a game shop!" Tracy stared at the front of Yu-Gi's Grandpa's Shop.

"Well, yeah." said Yu-Gi as they walked up to the door. The bell rang as Tracy walked through the glass door. At first it looked like a regular store; it had cards upon cards on shelves and in the class counter. "I'm home Grandpa!" Yu-Gi yelled as he walked up to the counter. Immediately an older man came out of the back with a brown box in his hands.

"You where out later than usual what-"just then he saw Tracy.

"Grandpa, meet Tracy," Yu-Gi said gesturing at Tracy, "She needs a place to stay for a little while until she can find a permanent place here in Domino. Can she stay here?"

"Well I guess it's alright, but you'll need to find a place for her to sleep" Yu-Gi's Grandpa said as he placed a case of dueling cards on his counter.

"I would be content with the couch if it is o.k." Tracy said softly. Yu-Gi showed her where she was going to sleep and she put her stuff down by the couch. As she lay on the couch she couldn't help but wonder what Talon was doing. _I told him I would call if I needed help," _Tracy Thought_," but everything is going good. I guess I could call him to tell him what's going on anyway. That's what I'll do: I'll call him first thing in the morning. _

The next morning, Yu-Gi woke up to find that Tracy had disappeared. "Where did she go?" He said to himself.

"_Yu-Gi,"_ the pharaoh said,_" I feel a strong dark power outside. She might be in danger."_ Yu-Gi ran outside to find a dinosaur-like monster with Tracy. He could hardly see past the rising sun, but she didn't act or look like she was in danger. In fact, it looked like she was petting it.

"Tracy!" he called.

"Yu-Gi!" she was startled," What are you doing up!" she said as she stepped in front of the dinosaur. It looked like a robotic raptor he had seen on a dueling card. The creature looked at Yu-Gi in confusion. It couldn't understand why it wasn't supposed to be seen, but it stayed put anyway.

"What's going on?" Yu-Gi ignored Tracy's question as he continued to stare at the white raptor.

"I guess I have some serious explaining to do don't I?" she said quietly looking at the ground. She went in the house with Yu-Gi and the dinosaur behind her. "I was going to tell you sooner or later, but I just wanted to wait a little longer." Tracy said. They sat down on the couch and the raptor lay on the floor. "First things first; my name isn't Tracy. It's Dragon Heart, and I only lied to you because I needed to protect my identity from the evil Shadow Flames. Before you jump to conclusions allow me to explain. Long ago when the pharaoh was leading his forces in the war in Egypt, The evil sorcerers summoned three great dragons to battle against the pharaoh, but the dragons didn't like the way the sorcerers where using them. They united as the Shadow Flames, and launched numerous attacks on both sides of the battlefield. My ancestors where on the side of evil, and they decided to help the Shadow Flames. The pharaoh defeated the dragons and locked them in stone in the dragon temple as punishment."

"Why are you telling all me all this?" Yu-Gi said, interrupting Tracy. The pharaoh and Yu-Gi where started by what she had told them about the ancient past.

"Because. It is important for you to know what happened. And the pharaoh needs to be reminded of why they're going to be trying to destroy you both." she said. She seemed to be relieved that she was able to finally tell someone about what was going on; instead of keeping it a secret. "After about two years the war in Egypt was over, and the dragons where forgotten. But my family never left the temple, or the Shadow Flames' side. My family was convinced that they where the good guys. Everyone in Egypt forgot about us until I came along. I was gifted with the power to summon shadow creatures."

"Where did you get that kind of power? Did the Shadow Flames give all of it too you?" again Tracy smiled at Yu-Gi.

"Well, think of it as a seed; they give each child in my family a small seed of power. As the child grows the power either grows or dies. For me the power grew out of proportion. The dragons where amazed at what I could do, so they trained me tirelessly. I grew older, stronger, and wiser. When they wanted to, so to say, "harvest" my powers to release themselves from the stone, I refused. My family was outraged. When they attempted to destroy me, my brother rescued me and we escaped to Egypt. When he found out about the pharaoh, Talon sent me to find him, or you."

"But why didn't Talon come with you?" Yu-Gi asked. He was amazed at what she had told him so far, but a few things where still confusing.

"He had to stay behind and cover for me so my family didn't figure out I was gone. I didn't think I would find you so quickly."

"Wow. Why didn't you just tell me all of this in the first place?"

"I was afraid that you hadn't mastered the pharaoh's powers, and if you hadn't you couldn't help me or my family. I couldn't tell just anyone about my family."

"Is your family still in Egypt?"

"They never left. My family is bound to the Dragon Temple; no one is aloud to leave." Tracy explained," When Talon and I left it was very dangerous, because we had never even seen the city. Yu-Gi, promise me you won't tell anyone about this o.k.?"

"Why?"

"I can't trust anyone anymore. The Shadow Flames have the ability to control people's minds. They could be anywhere."

"Can I tell my friends?"

"I need this to be our secret. I can't trust them to keep it quiet." She didn't even know if Yu-Gi could keep it a secret, but she had to trust the pharaoh. He's her only hope.

"Well…" he thought about it.

"What are you two still doing here?" asked Yu-Gi's grandpa appearing behind them." Shouldn't you be getting to school with your friends?"

"Oh! I completely forgot about school!" Yu-Gi yelled as he darted to his room.

"School?" Tracy said thinking. _I've never gone to school before. What do I do?_

"Are you going to be joining Yu-Gi and Joey at school while you stay, Tracy?" asked Grandpa.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," she said quietly.

Yu-Gi came shooting out of his room with a backpack, his puzzle, and a blue uniform.

"Tea is going to kill me if I'm late again," he mumbled as he rushed past his grandpa and leaped down the last remaining stairs. Tracy ran after him yelling. "Wait! I'm coming with you!"


	4. School

**School**

"I have to wear a uniform?" exclaimed Tracy.

"All of the students do," Yu-Gi replied calmly.

Yu-Gi had met Tea to walk to school, and she was very upset about him being late. Tea forgot about her anger when she saw Tracy. While they where walking to the school, Tea and Yu-Gi had told her all the info about school, but Tracy wasn't sure about the uniform idea.

"Don't worry about it, Tracy" said Tea, "When we get there we'll ask the principal for a uniform for you."

When they got to the school building they met Joey and Tristan in the front. Tracy had never met Tristan so Yu-Gi introduced them. Tracy said hello politely and they went into the building. When they arrived at the principal's office Tea got Tracy a uniform, and Yu-Gi and the others waited for them out in the school hall.

"They'd better hurry up or we'll miss our first classes." mumbled Joey.

"O.k. guys, what do you think?" asked Tea, as she opened the door to reveal Tracy in her new uniform. It was a pink long sleeve top with a large blue bow on the neck. The skirt she was wearing was unbearably short blue skirt in Tracy's standers. "What do you guys think?" asked Tea. The boys where speechless.

"You look great!" said Yu-Gi finally. He wasn't kidding. Tracy caught every boy's eye in that skirt, but she didn't know why. She didn't think of herself as a model to be stared at, and she never has had a boyfriend in her life. That was one of her family tradition she didn't break.

"I don't know I've never worn a skirt before. I'm kind of nervous about this whole school thing" Tracy said quietly.

"You'll do fine. It's only a little while anyway," said Joey.

"Oh, Tracy, I almost forgot. The principal got this for you," said Tea handing Tracy a schedule. Tracy held it lower so that Yu-Gi could read it.

"Alright! You have your first class with me and Joey," said Yu-Gi, "Come on lets go." Tracy was glad she had almost all of her classes with at least one of her friends. The only class she was worried about was the one with Seto Kiaba.

"Just stay out of his way and you'll do fine," said Tristan as they separated to go to different classes. "_Harder said than done_," she thought. She was introduced to the class just as she always was. The class was normal as well and she began to feel a little better. When the class ended, boys immediately flooded to her desk and began talking to her. She shoved through the crowd and immediately slammed into Kiaba! She was terrified; the unexpected collision caused Kiaba to drop his suitcase and Tracy to drop her books.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to do that it was a mistake," she said quickly. Kiaba began to snap a rude remark until he saw her eyes and hesitated. Her eyes where deep and strong as if they where ready to bite his head off if he said anything. His hesitation was enough for Tracy to escape the room. "That was too close," mumbled Tracy as she walked down the crowded hall to the exit.

"I told you it wouldn't be that bad," said Yu-Gi as they walked to the gate of the school yard.

"Yea, you where right." replied Tracy with a smile. "It wasn't as hard as I thought." she added. In her classes she excelled; even though she has never gone to any school. Most of her knowledge was from her family back in Egypt, but those days where long since over.

When they arrived at the gate they all stopped. In front of the gate stood a large group of student talking and yelling about some commotion.

"Time to go, Yu-Gi," said Tea quietly as she grabbed Yu-Gi by the arm.

"Where are you going?" asked Tracy, also speaking quietly.

"Well, ya know how Yu-Gi is the 'King of Games' and all? Since he's so good, everyone wants a piece of him," Joey explained.

"O.K. Where do you usually hide?" Tracy asked following Yu-Gi and Tea.

"We usually hide in the museum or at my place," said Yu-Gi. His arm tightly fastened in Tea's hand. Joey and Tristan had stayed behind to cover their tracks. They arrived at the museum first to hide for a small while, and to wait for their friends. Tracy had never been in the museum before, and she felt a strange power in the building. It almost felt like Yu-Gi's puzzle when she first saw it.

"Yu-Gi," Tracy said quietly," Is there anyone else here?"

"Ishizu might be here, but other than her, no I don't think so," he replied.

"Does she happen to have any millennium items?"

"Well, yea. Is something wrong?" Yu-Gi was getting a little worried bout the way she was acting.

"No. Just a strange atmosphere," she replied.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Tea, stepping in on the conversation. She had been watching the outside to see if the others where coming.

"It's nothing important," replied Tracy. "How long to the others usually take to get here?" she said, trying to change subject.

"It depends on how many people challenge Joey," tea said, again looking through the full glass entrance. Tracy finally looked around at the museum. It was very large and most of the walls and the floor were grey. There was a small glass case on the wall that displayed the newest exhibit. She walked over to see what was new. It wasn't anything that interested her. The only new thing was an exhibit from Egypt that she had already looked at. It was a large group of tablets and stones all about the history of ancient Egypt and dueling. Most of it she had seen when she explored the desert back in Egypt. It made her miss her brother, and her home. She sighed heavily, and it caught the attention of Yu-Gi who was looking out the front with Tea. He walked up beside her to see what the problem was.

"Are you sure you're o.k.?" he was beginning to get worried.

"I miss it back home," Tracy said quietly," Even though the Shadow Flames where after us we were still happy." Sigh "I miss Talon, too."

"Well…why don't you call him again?" Yu-Gi didn't know what else to say to cheer her up. He hated to see her sad.

"Yea, I do need to call him," to her, he was the best at moral support.

"Hey there they are!" Tea yelled. She had spotted Joey and Tristan as they headed toward the museum. Tracy and Yu-Gi walked out of the building with Tea to meet the boys.


	5. Telephone Call

**Telephone Call**

Ring… Ring… "Answer the phone, Talon." whispered Tracy. Ring…Ring Click.

"Hello?" answered Talon.

"Talon! It's you!" Tracy said excitedly. Tracy was calling him from a small telephone booth along the road to Yu-Gi's house. Yu-Gi was leaning against the booth waiting for her.

"Drag-, I mean, Tracy?"

"I miss you Talon."

"I miss you, too. Why haven't you called lately? What's going on over there?"

"Well, to start things off, I found the pharaoh."

"You did?" he repeated." When?"

"The first day I got here."

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" he questioned again.

"Because, I wasn't sure if he knew who he was. I really haven't talked to the actual pharaoh. I just met the boy who put the puzzle together; he's really nice. He's figured out the secrets of the puzzle."

"Did you tell him about our family?"

"Yes. Speaking of our family, what's going on in Egypt?" trying to change the subject. She didn't want to tell him Yu-Gi had seen her playing with a shadow creature.

"They have been very quiet, to tell you the truth. It's like there scheming or something."

"You know, I have been feeling a strange force here in Domino…"

"I don't like how this is turning out; I might come to Domino to fight them there first."

"What do you mean? You're coming here!" this fact surprised Tracy.

"Maybe, here's what I'm thinking: I believe the Shadow Flames have separated there power to try and find you. If they did they have spread there power thin and have become vulnerable. If we can defeat them there we may cause critical damage and have a chance to catch them off guard here in Egypt."

"That's a wonderful idea, Talon! When will you be coming here?"

"I don't know yet sis. This is still all hypothetical, you know. I still have to make sure our family isn't watching us."

"O.K, but call me when something happens, alright?" she was sad to finish talking to Talon.

"I will. See you soon, hopefully…" Click He had hung up. She slowly put the phone up and walked out of the booth.

"What did he say?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Not much," she replied quietly," I don't have to go to Egypt. Talon may be coming here."

"That's great!" Yu-Gi was excited and nervous at the same time. He has never met Talon before.

"Yea, I just don't know if this is a good thing. I mean, I want to see him a lot, but he said the Shadow Flames may have come here to look for me."

"But wouldn't you have sensed them or something?"

"No. Not if they where in cards. I would only feel them if they where summoned. I put all of you in danger," she said miserably.

"Tracy," he turned to her," Aren't I supposed to help you destroy them?"

"Yea, but-"

"If they're here I can help you even more."

"I guess so… but let's not think about this right now. I want to get back to your house. It's been a long day," they headed back to Yu-Gi's house for the night. When they got there it was pretty dark, but they weren't tired. Sitting on the couch they talked for a long while. With him she felt peace from her hectic life. The only other person who gave her this feeling was Talon, but this was a little different. Soon Tracy fell asleep leaning on Yu-Gi's shoulder; he was afraid to move for fear he may wake her. She was so peaceful he couldn't wake her up like that. He soon also fell asleep and they slept until the morning.

When Tracy awoke she looked around, and saw Yu-Gi sound asleep on the couch with her. She slowly stood trying not to wake him. After successfully freeing herself from his arms she stepped outside. The morning was cool and crisp. She was up pretty early so she didn't have to worry about school yet. Tracy took a walk down the sidewalk to wake herself up a little. It was a nice day; to Tracy, the world hadn't looked this nice for a long time. It was like her worries where put aside to enjoy the morning. She decided to try and draw something that she saw on her walk. She found a small bird that looked like it would stay still long enough; she waved her hand quickly and a board appeared in her hand. She sketched and colored the bird on it. After thanking the bird for his cooperation, she returned to the house to see if Yu-Gi had awoken yet. Just before she reached the door Yu-Gi came out. "Good morning," Tracy called.

"You're up so early," Yu-Gi said surprised.

"Yea, I guess slept well last night."

"Calling Talon helped, then?"

"I guess so," the truth was he made her feel safe enough to sleep soundly. "We'd better get ready for school," Tracy suggested.

"Good idea," Yu-Gi smiled as they returned to the house.


	6. Kiaba and Kerane

**Kiaba and Kerane **

"Mr. Kiaba, there's someone here who wishes to duel you in the lobby," said a man with black sunglasses.

"I don't have time to duel some wanna-be," replied Kiaba monotonously, never looking up from his computer.

"He says it's important," the man added," He has a card he wants to use against you, sir." Kiaba glanced up from his work.

"What kind of card?"

"He didn't say, sir."

"Very well," Kiaba stood up and walked over to the wall. A compartment opened revealing a deck and a duel disk. He took both, and headed downstairs with the other man. When he arrived, there was a robed man in the lobby; His duel disk was black. "You wanted a duel?" Kiaba asked.

"Yes," replied the man.

"Well then let's make it quick, I have lots of work to do." The duel went pretty quickly; as soon as Kiaba got one blue eyes on the field it was as good as over. Kiaba quickly defeated the duelist. "Now where is that card you said you had?"

"You won it fair and square," the man handed Kiaba a card and left. The card was like none he'd ever seen; it was a strange black card with the picture in the middle a platinum color. As he stared at the plank picture, something began to appear. A dragon's head was barely visible through the darkness. The cards name was Kerane, and the description read: "the weakest of the three Shadow Flames. Even separated from his brethren he can destroy anything." Its attack points where surprising: atk/ 4000 def/ 3500. _I have to have them all_, thought Kiaba. The card seemed to be influencing his train of thought. _Hey, that guy probably knows where the other two are! _Kiaba walked out of the building to ask, but the man was out of sight. He walked out into the busy street to find that man. "Where did he go," he whispered to himself," I'll find him later, I need to test this new card he gave me." he pulled the shiny card from his pocket, and looked at it. When he returned to the building and headed straight to his testing room. It was a very large, white room with holographic projectors built into the walls. Small windows where at the top of room; these windows lead into the control room where the men controlled the duels and holograms, steadily watched over by Mokuba, Kiaba's little brother. "Activate the dueling system," Kiaba yelled up to the control room. They activated the dueling machine and the holographic projectors while Kiaba shuffled the new card into his deck. After a long while of dueling the machine, Kiaba had two monsters on the field, but had fewer life points than his opponent. If he didn't draw that new card now, he would lose to his own invention. He placed his hand on his deck and felt a sharp shock rush through his body; this had to be the card. He drew it and there he was; Kerane was sitting calmly in his hand. Kiaba needed two sacrifices to summon it, and there where two cards on the field! "I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Kerane!" Kiaba yelled as he placed the card on the duel disk. As he did the two monsters disappeared and the ground began to rumble. A large circular beam appeared on the ground and a dark green dragon slowly arose. When the dragon had fully appeared, the rumbling stopped. It was almost too tall for the three story room. Kerane opened his red eyes and looked around. "Finally," his voice rumbled," Free from that awful prison." After a while of staring, Kiaba got his thoughts together began to bark orders to the great dragon. "Kerane, destroy my opponent!" Kerane turned his large head and peered at the small human behind him. _Who does this human think he his?_ Kerane questioned himself. Anger flowed over him and he turned toward Kiaba. "I take orders from no one!" he roared. A large claw rose to the air, and swung swift as lightning. The next thing Kiaba new he was flung into the wall and in a world of pain. "Seto!" yelled a small voice. It was Mokuba, and he was standing in the doorway of the room staring at Kiaba in horror. "Shut the power off!" he yelled in a small mike on his face. As soon as he did, Kerane turned to him. _This one's smaller than the first! Who are they?_ He began to attack when he felt something strange; it was like a draining feeling. The power had been turned off, and he must abide by the duel monster restrictions. "_Noooooo!_" he roared as he shattered and disappeared. Mokuba ran over to Kiaba. "He needs help," he yelled. Kiaba had blacked out from the pain. He had a huge gash in his clothes, but the wound wasn't as bad as it had first seemed. Kerane had hit Kiaba with his hand more than his claws which was a very lucky situation. Medics rushed into the large room and carried Kiaba out on a stretcher. Mokuba stayed behind to find an explanation to what had happened. Everything was quiet; the only thing left was the evil card that acted so strangely. He walked over to it and picked it up. It was a scary-looking card. The medics called Mokuba from down the hall, so he darted from the room with the card in his hand.


	7. The Arrival

Sorry it took me so long for my next chapter, but it took longer than expected. I've been busy with my B-Day and school. It's here! Hope you enjoy!

Thank you all for your reviews and support!

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

**The Arrival**

Tracy ran ahead of Yu-Gi and greeted Tea with a hug. The sleep she had gotten made her very frisky. Try as she might, she could barely refrain herself from acting like a fool. When they got to school, she greeted the boys with the same friendly hug. Unfortunately, she could only hug one person at a time so she embraced Joey. (She was going to hug Tristan, but Joey got pulled in to replace him.) After the greeting and a little talking, they headed to class. Their classes flew by and they where soon released. There weren't any people to run from today, so they walked out freely. "Hey guys," Tracy said as they exited the school yard, "Did you see Kiaba?"

"No," Joey answered, "Where we supposed to?"

"I don't know. He wasn't in my classes…" Tracy looked back at the stream of students."

"He misses classes all the time, Tracy; don't worry," Yugi reassured. Tracy turned to him and smiled. _He's right nothing to worry about_, Tracy said to herself, _besides, they know him better than I do_. After that small discussion, Tracy returned to her hyper self. She ran ahead and turned around to face them. "So! What are we doing now?" she questioned the group.

"Well-" Tea was interrupted by the sharp scream of a hawk. Tracy's attention jumped up to the bird. It circled twice and then glided off in one direction. Tracy looked straight ahead for a split second to think, and then took off in the direction of the hawk. "Tracy! What's up?" Yugi yelled running after her. She yelled back, "TALON!" He stopped in shock for a second, and then continued running, leaving the others in a stupor. After a small minute Joey got his thoughts together. "Whose dis 'Talon' guy?" He asked to himself, not really trying to get an answer. "We'd better follow them!" Tea yelled after a small while. They took of running.

Tracy had gotten a small head start, and she knew exactly where she was going- the domino train station. Yugi wasn't far behind her, but she was definitely fast when she had motive and he was falling behind. If he fell, too far behind he might lose her in the crown of the train station. "Tracy, wait up!" he yelled after her. She herd his request and ran in her place before stopping. He ran to her, breathing deeply, and stopped to catch his breath. After recovering they set off again at a speed they could both handle until they reached the station. When they got there, it was a bustle of people. Tracy new exactly where to go; she could easily sense his magic energy. She pushed and shoved through the crowds with Yugi close behind. "Do you know where you're going?" he asked.

"Yes, but it's very difficult with all of these people," she replied not looking away from her path. Soon they came to the track and they saw the train just pulling into the station. "This is it," she whispered nervously. _What will Talon think of what I've done so far? Will he accept Yugi? Will he take me back to Egypt? What will Yugi think of Talon?_ She looked at Yugi; he was also nervous about this. The question flew around in her head as the doors of the train opened, and people rushed out. Tracy and Yugi stood still as the crowd passed like a herd of buffalo. As soon as she could see through the crowd, there he was- Talon standing at the exit of the train.

He was tall and thin and had short, brown hair. Three red bangs fell over his face and ran over his deep brown eyes. He had a bag slung over his shoulder and another in his hand. A smile appeared on his face as he spotted Tracy. "TALON!" she screamed and leapt at him. When she embraced him his bags fell to the ground and he gave her a hug. "I'm so glad to see you," she whispered. They separated and Talon replied in his smooth low voice, "I missed you, too," he looked over her shoulder at the small smiling boy behind her, "Who's with ya sis?"

"Oh! Talon, this is Yugi," she walked over to Yugi and stood beside him, "Yugi, this is my brother Talon."

"Nice to meet you," Yugi said politely and held out his hand. Talon shook it and replied.

"Same here; you must be the infamous Pharaoh I've been hearing about."

"Not exactly, but he is here." Yugi let Yami take over. "I'm the pharaoh," said Yami in his deep voice. Talon was shocked at the change, but quickly recovered and gave a deep bow.

"It is an honor," he said in his deep smooth voice again. Yami smiled and was about to reply, but was interrupted by Tracy.

"Talon," she said impatiently, "I want to show you around the city before dark." It was barely evening, but she was tired of the formal greetings and had energy to burn.

"O.k., Tracy, let's go," he picked up his bag and headed out of the station with Yugi and Tracy. As soon as they got out of the busy station they herd their names being called. "TRACY! YUGI!" yelled their friends.

"Hey you guys! Over here!" Yugi yelled back. They soon got together, and the introductions began again. After everyone had met, Tracy brought Talon to Yugi's house so that he could put his bags down and they could begin their tour of Domino.

After the tour

Talon, Tracy, and Yugi walked to the Game Shop together. Tea, Joey, and Tristan had separated from the others to go to their own houses. Tracy had run ahead before so she was a few feet ahead of the boys. Yugi and Talon were behind talking. "Talon," Yugi asked, "Have you ever dueled just for fun?" It was a strange question that surprised Talon.

"Well," Talon looked straight and then replied, "I guess not. I mean, Tracy and I dueled a little back in Egypt, but we couldn't much because we'd get so into it that real monsters would be summoned and the shadow energy would blow our cover."

"That's harsh."

"It's not as bad as it sounds; since we never have dueled for enjoyment, it really wasn't something we missed or longed for."

"Wow," Yugi looked up at Tracy as she skipped and jumped in front of them. She wore a wide smile and stared up at the hawk that had led them to Talon before.

"Yugi, why do you ask this?" Talon asked as he looked down at Yugi.

"Well, she just seems to enjoy a lot of little things that seem normal to me."

"She can be that way at times," Talon said as he smiled. Tracy turned around and faced the boys with a large smile and her deep blue eyes.

"What are you two talking about?" She asked happily.

"Not much," Talon responded before Yugi could answer, "Hey, sis, I've got something to show you."

"What is it!" She replied excitedly.

"I can't tell you; it's a surprise."

"Awww come on!" She said with a large smile. She skipped over to him and added, "Please."

"Alright, I'll show you as soon as we get to Yugi's place."

"YAY!" she jumped off and turned to the air, "Skylar, did you hear that! A surprise!" The hawk gave a screech and flew lower to her shoulder.

They arrived at Yugi's house at dark, but Tracy was ready for her surprise. "I don't know…" Talon thought out loud with a smile, "I might want to wait 'till tomorrow."

"NO!" I want it now!" Tracy wined.

"O.k. I'll show you, but its not here. When we get close I'll need you to close your eyes." They all left down the street and Tracy ran over in her head all the things it could be. _A car? No, I can't drive yet. A horse? No, not in the city_. Many things ran through her head before they got close. "O.k., now close your eyes," Talon ordered and she did so quickly. Yugi helped by leading Tracy so that she didn't run into something. Talon stopped her and faced her in the direction of the gift. "Alright, open your eyes." What she saw took her breath away. A house was in front of her. _Is this really mine?_ She wondered. Her question was answered when Talon leaned to her ear and whispered softly, "Welcome home." She let out a scream of delight and gave a heavy hug to Talon. She ran into the house, still screaming in little bursts, to memorize her new home. Yugi was in shock as well, but he walked in a little calmer. "Look!" Tracy screamed, "A living room!" She bolted through the house and raced up the stairs.

On the first floor there was the light blue kitchen, the spacious living room, and a few miscellaneous closets and a bathroom. The second floor had two rooms. Her room and Talon's. There was also a room that was filled with all of Tracy's family treasures that they had. Tracy walked down the hall to her room and opened the door slowly. As she peeked in it took her breath away.

The walls were blue (not royal blue, but a little lighter). The window let in a lot of light for its size. A large queen-size bed was set by the wall across from the door with a black canopy and a blue comforter. There was also a black dresser with a grey dragon statue holding up a medium-sized mirror. Even though the room's colors where dark, it was lit up quite nicely.

Tracy took in the dream room, and then ran out to Talon. When she found him, she embraced him and said excitedly, "Thank you, Talon! How did you get all this?" She pushed him arms length for the answer.

"I got a temporary job as an Egyptian geologist back home, and then I sold our apartment before I moved here," Talon answered.

"I guess you'll finally be able to move out of the shop," Yugi added making his presence known. Tracy didn't realize this before and now it felt strange to leave Yugi's house. It had felt like home ever since she got there, and now she had a home of her own.

"I could still meet you for school, right?" Tracy asked, almost already knowing the answer.

"Of course!" Yugi answered.

"You had better go get our stuff," Talon said changing the subject. She agreed and left with Yugi for their luggage.

Well, there it is. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I think it came out o.k. I'm recovering from writers block so I need some ideas! R&R please.


	8. Joey and Odious

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Joey and Odious**

Joey was walking home that evening when some one appeared in front of him. He was dressed in a black robe with the hood covering his face. "I challenge you to a duel, Joey Wheeler," the man said firmly.

After recovering from the shock of the man's sudden appearance, Joey replied, "You asked for it!" They began the duel quickly. Joey got in the lead pretty quickly and stayed there until he finished the man off. "HA! HA! That was easy! Next time try to keep up!" Joey smiled as the man put his duel disk away.

"Here," the man said as he held out a card, "You deserve it."

Joey took the card in confusion. "What is it?" he asked, but the man had disappeared.

He continued on his way home, staring at the card. It was called "Odious" and its attack and defense where amazing: atk/ 3500 def/ 3000. The picture was just black, but it said it was a dragon. "One of three Shadow Flames; It serves only Servanus. Power grows with each Shadow Flame on the field and in the graveyard." That is what the description said. Joey couldn't wait to show Yugi his new card, and maybe duel him. "With dis baby no one can beat me," Joey mumbled to himself.

The next day Yugi went to Tracy's house to meet her for school. He had gone early so that he could catch her before she left. Tracy was an early riser and he knew she had probably already gotten ready. When he got to the house he saw a note on the door. After he went up the steps he could make out the words: "Gone training in park will return soon, signed-Talon."

Yugi didn't want to wait till they got back, so headed to the park. It was right down the street from Tracy's place. When he got there it was empty. No sign of Talon or Tracy. He took a step into the park grass and called for her.

"Tracy!" he yelled. Right before he called again, a hand fell over his mouth so he couldn't speak. Fear fell over him, but disappeared when he heard a familiar voice whisper.

"Shh," Talon whispered cautiously, "The dragon is on the hunt." Yugi was confused. Talon removed his hand and looked around.

"What dragon?" Yugi whispered back. Talon didn't answer he was a silent as a grave; he kept his eyes in one place for a minute. In a split second, something jumped from a nearby tree right on top of Talon. Talon had turned around and drawn a sword to block in the nick if time. The two fell to the ground before Yugi could realize who it was. Tracy had leaped from the tree and attacked Talon. She also had a sword, but the hilt was a gold color rather than Talon's silver. Yugi was pinned to the tree behind him in shock.

"Tracy, Yugi's here," Talon strained under her force with the blade. She let her guard down just enough so that Talon could flip her over his head onto her back.

"Yugi, you're early!" she said getting off the ground and dusting herself off.

"You let your guard down, Tracy," Talon lectured, "Always keep your attention on your opponent."

"Yes, Talon," she replied.

"I came early so you didn't leave without me. Are you coming, Talon?"

"Yes I am. Some one needs to control Tracy," he looked at her with a smile.

"Talon! I behaved when you weren't here!"

"It's when I am here that you're a problem."

"Well, we'd better go before we're late," Tracy said a little annoyed. They left together to meet Tea. When they where all together, Joey wanted to show Yugi his new card.

"Hey, Yugi, I wanna sow ya somthin'," Joey said.

"o.k., what is it?"

"I dueled dis guy last night and he gave me a card!" Joey held out the card to Yugi. As soon as Yugi saw it he knew what it was: a Shadow Flame! He decided to tell Tracy before he told Joey, because he promised her he wouldn't tell them about her past.

"Cool card," Yugi said; attempting to show a little interest.

"I be I could beat Kaiba in a duel with this baby," Joey held it close. Yugi knew he could be in danger if he used it in battle.

Talon had to get a school uniform from the principle before he went to class and almost had every class Tracy had, except for two. The other two Yugi was in so he didn't complain. After school, Tracy had become hyper again. She wanted to do something exciting.

"Yugi, let's duel!" she said happily.

"Tracy," Talon said defiantly.

"Aw, come on, Talon. It's just Yugi," Tracy whined. He looked at Yugi. Yugi don't know what to say.

"If Yugi wants to, I guess it's alright."

"You wanna Yugi?" Tracy turned to him.

"Well, sure," Yugi replied nervously. He didn't how she dueled and had no idea what to expect, but he didn't want to turn her down. "You'll need a duel disk."

"May I see yours please?" Tracy asked Yugi.

"Sure," Yugi handed her the disk from his backpack. She looked at it carefully for a few second, and then handed it back. "Thanks," she said sweetly then she went to her locker and Talon followed, "I'll be right back with one."

Tracy opened her locker and smiled. "You aren't going to make one are you?" Talon asked.

"Well, yeah; what am I supposed to do? Buy one?" She placed her hand in the locker and dark smoke appeared. In no time a duel disk was sitting in her hand.

It was a black disk, and had a blade for the card slots. She slid it on her arm, pocked up her deck and closed the locker. Talon walked back over to the group annoyed. "Are you ready, Yugi?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah." he had already gotten his duel disk and deck ready. They walked outside and the others followed with interest. Before they began something caught Yugi's eye. Tracy's eyes, in fact. Her blue, ocean-like eyes had changed from their compassionate happy look, to a deep, fiery red! This change caught him off guard. _Is this what happens when she duels?_ He asked himself. Before they started Yugi switched to Yami.

"Let's get started!" Tracy said with a hint of inpatients. The duel began with a few simple moves. Tracy summoned a couple of defensive monsters and Yami did as well. Soon it got interesting.

"I sacrifice Lesser Dragon and Masked Dragon to summon Ryu-Ran!" Tracy played the dragon, "And I'll play this card face down. Your turn."

Yugi drew a card. "I sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna and Beta the Magnet Worrier to summon my Dark Magician. Dark Magician, attack Ryu-Ran!" Ryu-Ran shattered as the dark Magician attacked. Tracy smiled and revealed her face down card.

"Behold! My trap card: Michizure!" Dark Magician disappeared. Tracy smiled in pleasure. The duel went on for quite a while; each displaying great skills and talent. It ended up being very close. Yugi had 200 life points, and Tracy had 100. It all came down to this. If Tracy couldn't get a strong enough monster. She drew a card and there sat in her hand the key to her victory.

"I sacrifice my Luster Dragon to summon my Luster Dragon #2!" The dragon appeared and gave a roar; Tracy smiled in pleasure. Unless he had another lucky brake Yugi was going to lose. Yugi drew a card nervously. He had no card in his hand that could defeat the Luster Dragon; this card had to be the one. Yes, the card he needed. Yugi smiled in pleasure.

"I play Monster Reborn! And revive my Dark Magician! Dark Magician, destroy her dragon!" As Dark Magician attacked, Tracy's life points ran down to zero. Yugi had won. A crowd had gathered by now, and they all cheered for the King of Games.

"That was awesome!" Tracy ran to Yugi and gave him a hug.

"That was very close," Talon walked up to Tracy, "You almost beat the world champ of duel monsters."

"Yeah, it was fun," Yugi added. They walked over to the others. Tracy looked at Joey, and he looked like he was about to explode.

"I CAN TAKE IT ANYMORE!" he yelled at last, "I wanna duel somebody!" Everyone was shocked. "C'mon, someone duel me!" Everyone was quiet.

"I'll duel you," Tracy said with a jump. Her gut told her not to, but she would do anything for a friend like Joey.

They began the duel quickly. Tracy had the upper hand for most of the duel; Joey wasn't doing well. _If I'm going to win, I better draw Odious soon_, he thought. He drew a card carefully; there it was, Odious was sitting quietly in his hand. "Yes!" Joey whispered happily. He looked up to make sure he had enough monsters on the field. He needed two. _Alright. I've got Baby Dragon and Little Wing Guard- perfect!_ He'd show Tracy how good he was with this card. He laughed under his breath excitedly.

Tracy was watching this on her side impatiently. Joey was so strange when he dueled. Suddenly, she had a strange feeling. Like something was about to happen; something bad. Butterflies in her stomach and a slight headache made her a bit nervous.

"I sacrifice my Baby Dragon and Little Wing Guard!" Joey finally yelled. Tracy began to tremble; why she didn't know. Joey continued, "To summon Odious!" The earth began to rumble and the two sacrificed monsters burst into flames.

"No! It can't be!" Tracy screamed and shook even more.

"Tracy? Are you alright?" Yugi called from the sidelines, "Tracy?" She didn't answer. Her hands gripped her head and she was on her knees, eyes tightly shut. Joey was standing in shock by her reaction to the card. Just then a huge ring appeared on the ground and flames erupted out. It seemed that the hole was a portal that unleashed the flames and anger straight from hell. A large shadow flew from the ring and stopped high in the air. It slowly lowered to the ground and hit with a boom. Standing on its hind legs, A dark red dragon known as Odious. He let out a deep, rumbling roar that bellowed over the crowd. The people where terrified of the giant creature; some even ran screaming.

Yugi continued to call to Tracy, but she still couldn't hear him. He was helpless. Joey looked at Odious and then decided it was just a monster and it couldn't really hurt him.

"Odious attack!" Joey yelled confidently. Odious turned his head quickly. Tracy opened her eyes at the same time.

"Joey! Don't!" She looked up, but it was too late. The dragon was a flash of red as it pummeled Joey with an iron claw. He slid across the ground like he had been hit by a truck.

"Joey!" Yami took over Yugi again and ran to his unconscious friend. The dragon let out a roar of pleasure.

"No one can control me!" Its voice rumbled. Talon took action and ran to Tracy. If the dragon found out that it was her there would be nowhere to hide from his fury. He took her to hide; leaving the others in danger. Yugi had to figure out how to destroy Odious before it started looking for the other Shadow Flames. _Got it, _He thought to himself_, This all started when Joey played the card. If I remove the card, he should disappear._ He reached for the card. but black electricity burned his hand as he got close. He pulled it back and yelled in pain. When he tried again the electricity returned, but he had to keep trying. Odious looked at the boy in shock; he concentrated more power on the defensive barrier. Yugi strained to keep from pulling back; he had to reach that card. His hand finally touched the card; grabbing it firmly, Yugi let the shield push his hand back and the card left the disk.

"NO! It can't be possible! A mere child!" Odious shattered into pieces and silence fell over the scene. Yugi dropped the card and gripped his bleeding hand in pain. Tea had called the hospital and they arrived quickly, and took Yugi and Joey to the hospital where they stayed the night. Leaving a few brave bystanders in pure shock and horror.

Well That was exhilarating, wasn't it? That was one my favorite chapters yet. The story is going to start picking up speed from here on out. See you in the next Chappie! -


	9. Explanation

I don't own YuGiOh.

**Explanation**

At the hospital, everyone was on edge. No one wanted to talk to anyone else until Tracy got there. Yugi's hand had been severely injured and was wrapped neatly. Joey was the most injured. He had a large gash in his side, but was awake. There were also some minor scrapes where he had slid on the ground. Everyone sat in silence. Tea had gone to find Talon and Tracy almost thirty minutes ago, and hadn't come back yet.

Tea didn't know where to look. She had heard that Talon had bought a house, but she had never actually been to it. She first tried the scene of the accident, but knew they wouldn't be there. Then she tried the school, museum and even Yugi's house; she turned up nothing. It got dark some time ago, and she was about to give up hope when she had an idea- the park! She took off running to the park.

When she got close she heard something she didn't expect- someone was calling to Tracy. Tea stopped to make sure she was hearing right. Yep, that was defiantly her name. She walked into the park and looked around. Seeing Talon, she ran over and looked at him. He had worry all over his face.

"What's up Talon?" Tea asked as she got close.

"I can't find her," Talon replied sadly.

"What happened back there? It looked like Tracy freaked out."

Talon paused for a second and then spoke quietly. "I'd rather tell you when everyone is together." He turned into the park and looked at the tree tops. Tea looked as well, and they search a long time. Soon Tea got frustrated and decided to try a new tactic.

"Tracy!" she yelled, "Yugi's really worried about you." Talon turned to her in surprise, but didn't say anything. She continued, "He needs to know you're o.k., everyone needs to know," She stopped and waited for a reply.

Eyes appeared in the tree behind Tea where she couldn't see and watched Tea as she spoke.

"We're all worried," Tea said sadly. There was a rustle in the tree and Tracy dropped down on her feet. Her face was tear-stained, and her eyes were ocean blue again. Her jet-black hair was falling over her face.

"Yugi's worried about me?" She said weakly. Tea smiled; Talon ran to her and gave her a hug.

Back at the hospital Tracy walked into the room and looked at Joey with miserable eyes. "It's all my fault," her broken voice shattered the silence of the room.

"Tracy I'm glad you're alright," Yugi got up and gave her a hug. She returned it gladly; feeling the safety of his arms.

"I'm glad you're alright Tracy. Can you explain what happened back there?" Joey asked.

"I'll try," Tracy said as she sat on a nearby chair. Talon leaned on the wall, and allowed Tracy to explain, "To start things off, my name isn't Tracy; it's Dragon Heart, and I come from a long line of Egyptian sorcerers that worship the dragons known as the Shadow Flames." Everyone was silent as she spoke. Her voice was straining to tell them her painful history. "I was destined to serve the dragons and be their key to power, but I refused. I knew that want my parents wanted was only what the evil of the Shadow Flames told them. Well, my family was outraged that I didn't want to serve their masters, and attacked me, attempting to destroy me for refusing. Talon saved me and we left our Dragon Temple home, forever. Since then, we've always been trying to save our family from the Shadow Flames.

I came to Domino to find Yugi and request that he help me and Talon defeat them, but… I guess I got distracted by feeling normal for once." She thought back to the happy feelings she had felt on her first day of school for comfort. As she looked up there were shocked and surprised faces staring at her. They seemed to be trying to soak it all in.

"So… you're sayin' you are here to stop these dragons from takin' over the world?" Joey summarized.

"Yeah, you could say it that way," Tracy said, "You guys, I'm sorry you had to get involved."

"Tracy," Yugi said suddenly. He looked up at her, "I am supposed to get involved if I'm to help you defeat them."

"I know but…"

"Enough of this bickering," Talon spoke firmly, "We need to talk strategy." Everyone stopped and listened. "Now Tracy and I know this, but Odious is not the leader of the Shadow Flames and he wouldn't show up first. We need to find out where the first dragon was and who he has taken control of."

"I can find out," Tracy said.

"Wait back up. How do you know it took over someone's mind?" Tristan asked.

Tracy and Talon looked at Tristan, "It's just something they do," Tracy said frankly. She stood up and gave a sigh. "I'm going to see if I can find any other dragon activity."

"Alright," Talon agreed, "You others should get some rest. Tomorrow we're going to start the war." He stood up and told everyone goodnight.

"Talon, where's Tracy?" Yugi asked. Talon glanced up to him.

"Oh she's probably on the roof," he said casually then walked out of the room.

Late that night, Yugi woke up and looked around. He had almost forgotten where he was. It was a dark hospital room. He had slept on the couch of Joey's room. The first thing that came to his tired mind was Tracy. He got up slowly so he didn't wake up Joey, and left the room. Talon had told him she was on the roof and Yugi almost betted that she was still there. When he opened the door the frigid air gave him a chill.

The roof was dark and flat. On the edge of the roof sat a shadow. Tracy was sitting on the ledge almost like a gargoyle statue. He walked up to her. He was afraid to speak to her, but he worked up some courage.

"Tracy?" he said silently. Her eyes stayed closed, and she remained silent. Her stern face didn't change. He decided she was too concentrated and turned to leave. He went to the door and opened it silently.

"Don't go," she said calmly. Yugi stopped and looked back. She hadn't moved, but he was sure she had spoken. He walked up behind her. "Your presence sooths the pain."

"What do you see?" he asked.

She opened her eyes and looked at him with sorrow. "I see darkness. Darkness everywhere." She looked back toward the city. "Yugi, I don't know how this is going to end or what's going to happen."

"Neither do I," Yugi said as he too looked out toward the city.

"Can I speak to Yami?" she asked Yugi. Yugi and Yami switched.

"Yes?" Yami asked. She looked up at him.

"Do you remember your past?"

He looked down sadly, "No."

"I had a past just like you did, but… I can't remember it either."

"You had an ancient past?"

"Yeah. It had something to do with the Shadow Flames. I've had dreams about some of it, but they don't tell me much. Except that I was to destroy the Shadow Flames." She relaxed from her awkward position and sat down facing the door. Yami leaned on the edge.

"I do know I was a pharaoh that protected the world from evil," he said.

She looked at him and studied his face. "Yes. You where the pharaoh that locked the Shadow Flames away." He looked at her with a smile.

"I wish I could remember how I did it."

There was a silence. Tracy stood up and stretched, "Well, we'd better get some sleep so the others don't think we've stayed up all night." They both headed back inside. When they got to Joeys room, they stopped. Tracy had to go home, because there wasn't enough sleeping space in the room.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight," Yami said nervously. They stood for a second. Then, Tracy gave Yami a quick deep hug and trotted off.

"See ya tomorrow!" she called back. Yami was left in shock. He watched her walk down the hall, and then went back onto the room think about what Tracy had said.

Well that one was long! I hope you liked it. The story is getting harder to write because I barely know what to do next. (That's why it takes a while for the next chapters)

I thank my loyal readers! All three of them: Stream strider, Silver Rose, and Rex the Emerald Dragon. Ya'll have been a TON of help with my story.

The next chapter will be here soon! (Hopefully…)


	10. Dream

Tada! The newest chapter! It took me a little while, but it turned out pretty well. I hope you like it. -

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Dreams**

Tracy got home and shuffled her feet up the stairs to bed. Looking for Shadow Flames in the city took a lot of power, and she was exhausted. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out, and dreams flowed into her mind.

Dream

"Atem! Master Atem where are you!" the servant ran through the palace nervously. His colorful robe flew behind him as he darted to the young pharaoh's quarters. He arrived at the Pharaoh's room and looked at the door, "Master Atem?"

"What?" a voice replied angrily.

"Master Atem, a meeting has been scheduled. May I come in?"

"No," the voice spoke quickly, "I understand. I'll be there." The servant bowed to the door and left. Atem stood on the other side of the door and sighed in relief. "That was close." He wiped his forehead, brushing his golden bangs from his eyes.

"It was too close," a girl added. She was standing behind him, "Good thing he asked," She smiled playfully. Her red eyes were bright and looked at him with love.

"I wasn't sure if he would or not, and I wouldn't let him anyway," he returned the smile and brushed his hand through her deep, black hair. He had braced himself against the door when he heard the servant come, ready to stop his attempt at entering.

"We really should tell someone about us sooner or later."

"You know we can't do that, Serilla," he frowned seriously, "You are betrothed already."

"I know, but I don't love him!" she whined.

"We don't have a choice," Atem replied sadly. She walked into his arms.

"I want our love not to be a secret anymore." Atem embraced her and they stood silent.

"Pharaoh," the servant said impatiently returning to the door again, "The meeting?"

"I'm getting ready," Atem called back. He turned to Serilla, "You'd better go." He placed his crown on and looked back at the door.

She smiled and kissed him, "I'll see you tomorrow." Atem threw a rope out the window and Serilla slid down quickly.

When she reached the bottom, she was in the royal gardens. After making it out of the palace boundaries, getting to her palace was quick and easy. Serilla jumped on her black horse, and darted off.

By the time she got there it was very late. All was quiet. The posts outside the door were lit and bright with flames. It was a very gloomy palace to her with the night and all. She walked her horse up to the doorway and dismounted.

"Goodnight, Soris," she whispered. He nickered and nudged her lovingly. She released his reins and he walked off to his stall.

Now came the hard part: getting inside without waking her parents. Her sandals tapped as she walked on the stone floors, and the noise almost echoed through the silence.

When she finally reached the room, her young servant girl stood looking out the window. Serilla smiled and snuck up. "Hello, Janelle," She spoke quickly. The girl jumped and turned around wide eyed. It was all Serilla could take to keep from laughing.

"Princess!" Janelle whispered, "You startled me!" She walked over and closed the large door to the room. "Where did you run off to this time?"

"I went on another date," Serilla smiled happily as she stepped into the washroom.

"Oh you mean with the 'mystery boy'?" she said interested.

"Yes. It was nice," she spoke out of the other room.

"How long are you going to keep seeing him?"

Serilla poked her head out of the door. "What do you mean?"

Janelle looked up nervously, "Well, I mean, you are getting married, my Princess. You will be filed with heavy treason for having an affair, and with the enemy pharaoh!"

"What if I don't want to get married," she stepped back into the other room.

"But to become the queen, you must be married."

"I know," Serilla sighed and stepped into her bedroom. She had changed into a long, light blue gown that flowed when she stepped. Its sleeves were long and covered her hands elegantly. "I just want to be with my true love." She sat on her bed.

"When will I be able to see this boy you have so much attraction to?"

"I don't know," she thought for a second. "It will be soon."

"I will look forward to it. Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Janelle." Janelle left and Serilla stepped out to her balcony. Atem was her love, but they could never be together. Not when her fiancé is so close to being her husband. She let out a sigh and headed back to her bed.

As she was lying down to sleep, a loud knock by her balcony was heard. She sat up quickly and looked around. There, on her floor was a rock.

"Where did this come from?" she whispered as she stood up to investigate. When she stepped to the balcony, she looked down and lost her breath. "Atem!" She whispered loudly. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come up?" he ignored the question.

"Yeah, sure!" she retrieved a small whistle and blew it silently. Soon, a riding dragon appeared, and Atem rode it to the balcony. When he landed they hugged and she repeated her question.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you something important. The meeting we had; it was about the war between our families." There was a pause. "I'm needed on the battlefield." Her shocked showed on her face.

"Why?" She knew the answer. Her family was winning and the pharaoh was running out of soldiers.

He looked into her eyes. She was worried for his life. "I will come back." He promised. She didn't care.

"Atem. I am to be married soon," her voice was weak and she was ready to cry. Atem was surprised.

"Can't you delay it?"

"No. I am to be queen soon, and queens must be married." Tears swelled up in her deep red eyes. He almost couldn't bear to see her cry.

"We'll run away," he spoke suddenly. She looked at him. "As soon as I return, we will run away and start our own lives together. No family to stop us." he placed his hand on her cheek.

"You promise you won't forget me?"

"Promise." He wiped her tears and smiled. She returned the smile and kissed him softly.

"I'll be waiting for you." They hugged and Atem mounted the dragon again. "Good luck." she spoke as the dragon leapt off the balcony and landed by Atem's horse.

When he looked up, she stood in the moonlight. Her eyes had begun to cry again. He mounted and rode off, not knowing that he would never see her the same way again…

End dream

Tracy's eyes opened and she sat up. Her face was wet from crying. Why was she crying? Had that really happened? She looked around her room while wiping the tears away. The sun was gleaming through the window, and she heard a bird chirping happily. She had slept in?

_That's to be expected_, she thought to herself, _after what happened last night_. She slipped out of bed and left her room. The smell of bacon woke her all the way up. _I wonder if Talon is still here._ She walked down the steps. All was quiet. She followed the smell of bacon to the kitchen and saw a large covered plate with a note on it. She picked it up and read:

_Gone to hospital. Bacon is for you. Enjoy! _

_Talon_

Tracy smiled, grabbed a couple of pieces for breakfast and went back to get dressed. She had better go to the hospital too, before everyone begins to worry. All the way there she thought of that strange dream. What did it mean?

Alright maybe it was a little short, but I've been a little busy. O.k., very busy. I'll update as soon as possible!


	11. Family Reunoin

I don't own YuGiOh.

**Family Reunion**

Tracy got to the hospital and found everyone awake. She was happy and well rested. The doctor had released Joey, so he was itching to get out.

"Good morning, everyone!" Tracy said happily as she entered the room.

"Good morning," everyone replied.

"Sorry I took so long. What's up?"

"Not much," Talon said, "We're all ready to go check out where you think the first Shadow Flame showed up."

"O.k. The most active place was Kaiba Corp." Everyone was surprised. "I think that's why he wasn't at school most recently."

"We'd better get over there before the third Shadow Flame shows up," Yugi said as he stood up. Everyone agreed and they left eagerly.

Over at Domino train station a long train pulled in and screeched to a halt. Men and women waited impatiently for the door to open, but when it did a purple mist flowed out. People watch as two rows of robed men walked out and split to make clear walkway. Suddenly, a large black raptor leapt from the train and gave a high pitch cry! People screamed and ran in pure terror. The raptor walked calmly to the end of the line of men and moved aside.

A row of robed women walked out in a line; each having a different color robe. The first woman had a deep red, the next was deep brown, and then deep green and last was black. They where followed by a man in a silver robe. His silver beard was short, but pointed. The women lined up, and the older man stepped in front of them and turned around. He pulled off his hood to reveal a gray head and light blue eyes. He frowned and then spoke.

"My daughters," his voice was gruff and almost sad, "Dear princess Dragon Heart has left us, but we will get her back. The Masters must remind her why she is the princess and what she is intended to do." The girls nodded. "My daughter Spice." The girl with the dark brown robe removed her hood.

Her hair was a brownish red and was up in a ponytail. Her eyes were brown and showed courage and attitude. The father continued, "You must find your lost sister, and return to inform us."

"Yes, Father," her voice was clear and young. She bowed and placed her hood back on. After Spice had left, the Father turned to the next girl.

"My daughter, Panthera." She removed her hood to reveal black hair. It was the length of her face on one side with the other side it was short. Her eyes were bright green. "My beautiful daughter, you must find the Chosen One."

"It will be done," her voice was silent yet strong. She replaced her hood and stepped over to the raptor. She wasn't to leave until Spice found Dragon Heart.

"My other two daughters. Prepare for battle. You will follow Panthera to the Chosen's headquarters to increase the defenses." The other two bowed, and the man walked back to the train. His plan was coming together perfectly.

When Tracy's group got to Kaiba Corp., everything there was different. Tracy's heart sank when she saw it. The building had a dark smoky cloud around the top, and dragon statues had appeared on almost every corner. This was definitely it.

"Thing have changes a lot," Yugi said nervously.

"This dragon is Kerane," Tracy said almost like she was reading a sign.

"That means Servanus is still out there," Talon spoke disappointedly.

"Servanus is the leader right?" Joey asked.

"Yeah…," Tracy looked to Yugi, "We need to find him as soon as possible. He is one of the most destructive."

"I have an idea," Talon said slowly, "Tracy, you, Joey and Yugi will enter Kaiba's place and find where he's keeping Kerane. Kerane will stay in the card until the others arrive. Tristan, Tea and I will go to find Servanus. Any questions?"

"Talon?" Tracy asked, "Why am I not going after Servanus? I can track him."

"Because you need to help the pharaoh to save Kaiba. I can find him, but it will take a little longer."

"O.k."

"Well, let's get goin!" Joey said pumped. Everyone said there goodbyes and Talon led his group out to the city. Tracy put up her hair in a large ponytail. Yami caught himself staring and looked down with a small blush. Tracy turned to him, Yugi had switched to Yami.

"You know once we go in there, there is no turning back," Yami nodded, and Joey gulped.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked nervously. Tracy smiled at him, but didn't answer. It was that bad if not worse. She then turned to the large building. Her face became stern. The group went to the door, but Tracy stopped suddenly.

"Wait," she spoke quickly. Her eyes changed to the bright red that Yugi saw when they dueled. "Something's not right…" Yugi looked at her. "Let's find another way in." She walked around the building a ways until she found a window. It was pretty high, but this was where she wanted to get in. She turned to Yugi. "Give me a boost." she ordered. He nodded and linked his hands together. She stepped onto his had, and he thrust her up to where she could see.

"What do ya see?" Joey asked. Tracy looked around and then said calmly.

"I see darkness. Not a single person. No monsters, no people; nothin." she looked down at Yugi. "Can you boost me a little further?" With a little more effort, Yugi had her at a higher position. She climbed onto the windowsill and unlatched it.

After successfully getting in, Tracy helped Joey and Yugi in. She was right; not a soul could be seen. It was very dark, like the lights had gone out. Tracy glanced around nervously. Her red eyed almost glowed in the dark. Then they heard it. A light tapping of high heeled shoes. Tracy looked straight with a face that could kill. A girl appeared out of the dark.

It was Spice, but she wasn't wearing her dark brown robe. Instead, she wore a long red skirt that went to the floor. It had a split that went right up to her waist. Across the waist was a large gold decoration with red and orange gems. Her top was a tank top that was the same color. It also had a large jewel decoration. She also had large golden wristbands that went up to her elbow.

"Welcome, sister," Spice said amusedly. Joey looked at Spice then to Tracy.

"You have a sista?" Joey exclaimed.

"Yes," Tracy replied calmly, "Quite a few of them."

"I am Spice!" Spice introduced as she held out her arms, "I am on of the five Kidera sisters, and I was sent to find you, Dragon Heart." Tracy's eyes squinted angrily. "But you came right to us!" Spice smiled.

"I won't join your cause," Tracy said with a voice that surprised both Yugi and Joey. It was an angry voice the she was forcing to stay calm.

"You will, my sister. Last time I checked you had no choice!" Spice held out her hand and a flaming ball of energy burst from it. Tracy dodged easily and the attack whirled by Joey and Yugi. Spice stared at Yugi like she had found a diamond in the dirt. "So you actually found the pharaoh!" her voice was impressed. She walked over to Yugi. Yugi would have backed up or something, but he was frozen by some kind of magic. She walked around him studying his features.

"Leave him alone!" Tracy stood up and held her hands out like she was holding a sword. Black smoke appeared and created a sword with a golden handle. Tracy leapt at Spice and they went sprawling through the hall.

"Ooh I hit a soft spot!" Spice said as she was pinned to the ground. Tracy gritted her teeth. Spice threw Tracy over her head and stood up. As the fight went on, each girl exchanged blows that would kill if they made contact. Joey and Yugi watched in amazement as the two battled.

Suddenly, a faint horn blew. The two girls stopped and looked into the dark hall. The horn faded and Spice looked at Tracy.

"We'll have to finish this later," she said disappointedly and took off running down into the dark hall. Tracy sighed and fell to her knees. Yugi was surprised and ran to her aid.

"Are you o.k.?" he asked worriedly. She looked up at him with blue eyes again and smiled.

"I'm fine." she got up and her sword disappeared. They walked down the hall a ways until they found a door that lead to a lobby-like area. It was large, but empty. There where a few robed men, but other than that, it was completely empty.

City

Talon walked to a corner and stopped. The group followed silently. They had arrived at the park where kids were dueling everywhere.

"How are we supposed to find that card now?" Tea asked. Talon looked around and then spoke.

"He is over here." he walked over to a boy who was looking for an opponent.

"Hey, bud. You wanna duel?" the boy asked. Talon though for a second.

"Sure," Talon agreed smoothly.

"Alright! My names Johnny and I want your best card!"

"I'm Talon…" he smiled, "…and I want your best card, too." All of the sudden Talon had a duel disk and a deck. When the duel started, Johnny summoned a weak monster. Talon almost laughed; this kid was pathetic. It was true, he was a beginner and Talon was an expert. With all of his bird monsters he obliterated the boy with ease.

"Whoa! You're good!" Johnny said in surprise.

"So what's your best card?" Talon walked over. He produced the card. Just as Talon thought; it was Servanus. "Thanks." Talon walked back to the group. "Let's go help Tracy." He was so grim no one wanted to disagree with him so they followed obediently.

Train Station

"Where is Spice?" the Father stood at the entrance angrily. With a servant by his side.

"I don't know, Master Gormize," the servant replied. Spice arrived with her robe again.

"Did you find her?" Gormize asked.

"Yes, sir. She is at the Chosen one's mansion now."

"You defied my orders, Spice." she looked up at her irritated father.

"I was trying to defend myself from her."

"There is no reason to do so. She would never hurt her own sister." He walked back into the station. "Gather your things, my daughters. We leave for the Chosen One's mansion tonight." The three girls walked into the train they had come to Domino in, where all their items were kept, and removed their hoods. They packed silently for a few minutes, but soon, one spoke up.

"So, does she have a boyfriend?" The sister with the black robe asked. Her brown hair fell over her face as she spoke. Spice turned around and looked up to think.

"I'm not sure…" Spice thought. "There is the pharaoh." The other two looked up at her. "But I'm not sure if she's admitted it yet."

"Really? She likes the pharaoh?" The other sister turned her attention to Spice. This sister had deep red hair and green eyes like Panthera.

"You sound surprised, Fang," Spice smiled as she said it. Fang looked at the third sister.

"What do you think, Claira?" Fang asked. Claira looked up with her hazel eyes blank.

"I think she's crazy, but it's been that way since…forever." The girls laughed and continued packing. They spoke and told a few jokes every now and then, but it was mostly silent. They acted like normal sisters when they weren't trying to serve the Shadow Flames. When they finished packing, they set off for Kaiba's mansion.

There, all better. I like that one and another will be here soon! (R&R!)


	12. The Decision That Would Change the Game

Alright, this one is as good as the last one. It just took a little longer.

**The Decision That Will Change the Game**

Tracy counted the men twice over. Five of them; way too many for Tracy by herself. She glanced back at Yugi and Joey. Joey looked like a good fighter, but Yugi was too important to this mission to get injured. Yugi looked over to her.

"Something wrong?" he asked in a whisper. She nodded and continued to look at his eyes.

"There are too many for just us," she replied, "Not only in numbers, but they have us overpowered, too." Yugi looked out to the room.

"What are our choices?" Joey whispered.

"We can either chance it, or we could go back and wait for Talon to get back with Servanus." They all thought for a second.

"I vote to wait for Talon," Yugi said. Joey looked out at the men.

"Me, too," Joey agreed a little disappointed. Tracy smiled pleased. She stood and they walked back to the window. When they got there, Yugi stopped and looked back into the darkness. Tracy looked at him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I think we're being followed," He said seriously. She looked into the shadows and her eyes changed to red again.

"Panthera…" she whispered angrily, almost in a growl. She stepped in front of Yugi and stared straight onto the darkness. "Come out Panthera!" Tracy yelled. After a few seconds Panthera walked slowly out of the shadows.

"Dragon Heart, it is nice to see you again," Panthera's voice was smooth and silent, yet strong and determined.

"What do you want," she barked. Panthera cocked her head in interest.

"You're angered."

"Are you another one of Tracy's sistas?" Joey asked curiously. Panthera smiled at him.

"Yes. I am Panthera of the Kidera sisters."

"Do not bother us, sister," Tracy growled. She seemed to be getting angrier by the minute. Panthera turned to Tracy again.

"Orders from father are more important than yours." She stepped closer. "I am here for you, my sister." Tracy's eyes squinted. Yugi's eyes widened. _They're_ _after Tracy? _He asked himself. _Why Tracy and not me?_

"I will not come." Tracy answered silently. Panthera smiled.

"Last time I checked, you didn't have a choice," Panthera stared at Tracy and black smoke crawled over the floor to Tracy's feet. Tracy didn't flinch, but stared at Panthera with a stare that will kill. The smoke began to crawl up Tracy's legs yet she still did not move. When the smoke hit her waist, Tracy's eyes turned full red and she let out a loud scream. The smoke lifted up and flew toward a shocked Panthera.

Panthera dodged quickly and looked back at Tracy. Tracy was staring at her with her red eyes and a blank face. The darkness was flowing around her legs like a small tornado. Tracy held her arm out and a beam of black energy flew at Panthera and struck her through a door into another room. Tracy began to walk into the room. When she got to the doorway, she turned to Yugi and Joey.

"Stay here," she said flatly. Yugi nodded and stayed put. Denying her now would be a bad idea. She stepped into the dark room and all was silent. Yugi wanted to help, but he didn't know how. Joey looked at the window.

"Should we go get Talon and the others?" Joey asked.

"I don't know," Yugi replied, "We need to show him how to get in the building, but..."

"It won't take long," Joey said. They headed out the window silently.

In the dark room, Tracy looked around cautiously. Panthera was a master of stealth, and she could be anywhere. Panthera stood almost in the middle of the room and watched Tracy with pleasure. She was walking right into the trap. Tracy stopped and looked around some more. It was too quiet; way too quiet.

Suddenly the light flicked on and revealed about ten robed men standing by the walls. Tracy's heart wrenched. She had made a mistake, because of her anger, and now she was captured. The smoke disappeared and Tracy hung her head. It was over; she was going to be forced to serve the masters she had fought so hard to escape. The men moved in cautiously, but they didn't have to. Tracy had already given up.

Outside

Talon saw Yugi and Joey, and headed to them. Yugi didn't look very happy and that made Talon worried.

"Something wrong, Yugi?" Talon asked worriedly. Yugi looked down.

"She hasn't come out yet," he said quietly.

"You left her in there!"

"She wanted us to!" Joey defended.

"It doesn't matter!" Talon blurted. "She doesn't know any better when she's angry!" He stopped and put his hand on his face. "I should have stayed with her…" he whispered, "Now she's trapped and I can't do anything about it." Yugi thought for a second.

"I can," Yugi said suddenly. Talon looked up in surprise. "I am supposed to; aren't I?"

"Yeah…" Talon thought.

"Then I should help her." Everyone was silent for a second.

"We should plan our attack," Talon said. Yugi was relieved, but still worried.

Inside

Tracy sat in a dark room that was split in half by thick metal bars. She sat in the middle of the side with no doors. She was sitting on her knees with her hands resting on her legs. Her hair fell over her eyes, and tears stained her face. The bars could not hold her, but she had no motive. There was nothing left to fight for. She had fought so hard to stay away… to create peace, but all it seemed to bring was pain and fear… and war. There was no more will to fight; there was nothing left of her spirit, but torn and shattered pieces. She let out a quiet sigh.

"It's over…" she whispered, "I give up." Just when the silence returned, the door opened and Claira walked in. Tracy didn't even bother to look up. Claira sat down by the thick bars and leaned on the wall. At first she didn't speak, just stared at the other wall.

"Why did you leave?" Claira asked quietly. Tracy lifted her head slightly, still looking at the ground. "You had it all, and you just…left. Why?" She looked over to Tracy. Tracy sighed.

"I thought…I could save the world…" Tracy said softly, "I thought…if I…tried to stop the Shadow Flames that it…would be easy when I found the Pharaoh." She paused. "I give up now…"

"I don't understand," Claira looked at Tracy, "The Shadow Flames want to help restore the world."

"No they don't… They want to destroy it. They just need the family's help to do it so they brainwash you." Claira was confused.

"That's wrong," she stood and stared down at Tracy. "You just need to remember." Tracy let out a meek smile.

"You'll see…" she whispered, "You'll know what's right soon…" Claira turned and walked out of the room a little frustrated. _Why was Dragon Heart so rebellious? _She asked herself. _I mean she can't be right…can she?_

Claira was the closest to Tracy because they were the oldest of the sisters, and they usually could understand each other. But ever since Tracy left, they've been worst enemies…supposedly. Claira continued her walk, but Tracy's words wouldn't leave her mind. "You'll see…You'll know what's right soon…"

So, what happens now? Do the Shadow Flames win? Or will Yugi be able to save Tracy? And what about Tracy's sister Claira? Find out in the next chapter! It will be here soon!


	13. Kaiba and the Kidera Sisters

Ok, some of you were probably wondering "Where did Kaiba go?" Well, he's here! I hope you like it!

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Kaiba and the Kidera Sisters**

Kaiba walked down a long hall and opened the door to his office. As soon as he did, something caught his attention. There was someone in his office! It was a girl and she was sitting in his chair looking out the window.

"What do you want?" he said sharply. Fang turned the chair around and looked him over. She smiled at him and then answered.

"I just came to talk," she said in a sweet voice. Kaiba walked up and set his suitcase on the desk.

"Why are you really here?" he glared at her. She pouted mockingly.

"Is talking to me not good enough for you?" she said disappointedly. Kaiba was surprised; she acted like a child!

"I barely even know who you are!" he yelled. Fang stood and brushed a red lock of hair from her face.

"The names Fang; nice to meet you," she smiled and walked around the desk and behind Kaiba. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. Fang wrapped her arms around his neck from behind him and whispered in his ear. "You're cute, Kaiba. Wanna get better acquainted?" Kaiba began to blush, and just stood for a second.

Suddenly, a small jewel on Fang's neck began to blink. She walked away from Kaiba a ways and looked at it.

"Ok, I have a message for you Kaiba," she sounded disappointed as she turned back to him. "Come back here at midnight, k?" she walked close. "See ya then." She said softly.

When she left, Kaiba fell into his chair and gave a sigh of relief. She was strange. He looked at his desk and saw a small disk. He picked it up and read the writing on the front: "**Dragon Carnage**".

"Hm," he shrugged and put it into his computer. The screen went blue then black for a while. No way did that girl send him a virus! He typed a few letters, and a small egg appeared on screen. It was a brownish red with flames painted on the bottom. He stared at it a while, but it didn't move. After a minute, it wobbled and cracked. A small red dragon poked his head out and blinked. Kaiba's eye twitched. What the heck was this?

The dragon flew out of the shell and landed in front of it. It grew bigger and bigger until it almost took up the whole screen. Then a name typed itself on the bottom: C-R-A-I-G-F-I-R-E. The dragon roared and shattered. Then the screen showed Egyptian tablets and walls that had hieroglyphics of dragons and monsters. Kaiba's wide eyes scanned over the material as it scrolled and changed. He could read it! ...But how?

The screen then showed a large wall with pictures and Hieroglyphs. On one side, there was a man that looked like Kaiba and the pharaoh, and on the other were unknown people with dragon-like monsters above them. Kaiba sat back in his seat in shock. What was this stuff! It couldn't be real!

Suddenly, the screen went black. Was it over? Kaiba shrugged and got up. He was tired and needed some sleep.

11:55

Kaiba woke and sat up. A noise was going off, but he couldn't pinpoint were or what it was. It almost sounded like it was in his head. He stepped out of bed and followed the noise to his desk. The computer was black with a line blinking and beeping. Kaiba stood back. What was going on?

"I should have burned that CD…" he mumbled as he typed something on the computer; nothing happened! "What the?..." Suddenly the large line typed out, in large letters, a word slowly: Y-O-U. Kaiba took a step back and his anger began to rise. Then, it erased the word and wrote it again with more.

Y-O-U, K-N-O-W, W-H-O, Y-O-U, A-R-E… Kaiba stared at the screen in surprise. Thoughts raced through his mind. He turned around to see outside, but instinctively moved out of the way of a large black creature racing at incredible speed toward the window. As it crashed through, Kaiba stood at one side.

There stood a good sized dragon with its breath loud and nostrils flared. It folded its wings neatly with a few rustles to settle them in. Its head was large and strong with hawk-like eyes. One eye stared at Kaiba expectantly. Kaiba looked it over and discovered a large, elegant, black saddle resting on the dragon's sturdy back. It had jewels of deep blue set in it, and it flowed down a ways of the dragon's tail in the form of armor.

It blew a blast of hot air out of its nostrils as if to say, "Hurry up we have somewhere to be." Kaiba walked over cautiously and touched the muscular neck. The scales were surprisingly smooth, but still had definite ridges. He stepped back to the saddle and ran his hand over it. It was a comfortable velvet material. He finally worked up enough courage and jumped into the saddle.

He sat for a while before kicking one leg against the dragon's side. It gave a Hawk-dragon roar and twisted in great speed to launch off the side of the tall building. Kaiba didn't know why he had told it to jump, but it just seemed natural. As the dragon flew, the wind flowed over Kaiba; giving him the sense of freedom. He looked at the dragon. It was peering back at him with a kind of smile.

"Where are we going?" Kaiba asked. The dragon opened his mouth to let out a crackly squawk. Oh, yeah, like Kaiba could speak dragon. "Well, where ever we're going could we go a little faster?" Kaiba kicked the dragons sides like a horse, and it thrust forward in immense speed. Kaiba almost fell off, but he held on to the horn of the saddle. As it flew, it flapped its wings in a steady rhythmic beat that was extremely relaxing. Kaiba began to dose off as they flew.

After a while of flying, the dragon slowed its speed, and Kaiba woke wide awake. Why were they stopping? It landed delicately on an open roof. Its claws made a click as it landed on the concrete. When Kaiba stepped of its back, the dragon began to pace around him looking around anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba walked around to explore this place. As he stepped away the dragon watched and then followed. A girl stood in the shadows and watched his every move. Another girl was behind the dragon walking silently behind them. Then, another jumped up onto the roof in front of Kaiba.

"I'm glad you could make it," Claira said amusedly, "I see you met Craigfire." She walked to the dragon and patted it on its nose.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kaiba asked a little angered. Claira looked at him.

"We are here to grant you the power of the chosen," Panthera said as she walked from the shadows followed by Fang. Spice walked around the dragon's side and grabbed its reins. It gave a crackly purr and nudged Fang respectfully.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba asked looking around him at all the sisters. Claira reached in the pocket of her black jeans and pulled out a silver bracelet. It was wide and held a blue jewel that matched Kaiba's eyes. She held it out to Kaiba.

"When you accept this amulet, you accept the responsibilities of a dragon rider," Claira paused, "Do you accept, Kaiba?" Kaiba was taken back, but his heart was longing to take the amulet. He held out his hand. Claira smiled and snapped it on his wrist. "Good choice. Welcome to the family." She gave him a hug then walked backward. "Now you can head back for some rest or enjoy your new dragon-flying skills." She leapt backwards over the edge of the building and the other sisters disappeared.

Kaiba looked around then down to his wrist. What was this for? He shrugged and turned around to his new dragon friend.

"How about a trip home?" he said in a friendly tone. The lack of sleep was finally getting to him. The dragon smiled and turned in submission. Kaiba mounted the dragon and nudged its sides. After launching from the roof the dragon continued its smooth lazy pace back home. The speed was not as dramatically fast, but that was probably because of the lack of drive.

When they finally arrived back at Kaiba's, he threw himself on the bed. Craigfire lie down on a large rug and immediately fell into a deep sleep. Kaiba did as well, and the night fell silent.

There he is! More to come later!


	14. Normal as Could Be

**As Normal as Could Be**

Dragon Heart stood up weakly. The sun shone through the window of her room telling her it was morning. She was released from the prison and now had returned to her princess title in the Shadow Flames' empire. It was a familiar situation, but Dragon heart was still a little uncomfortable.

Claira opened the door to Dragon Hearts room followed by Spice.

"Morning sleepy head!" Spice said happily. Dragon Heart smiled and walked closer.

"What time is it?" she asked as she strolled out of the room. Claira followed.

"Its ten o'clock, but don't feel bad Fang is still asleep." They talked as they went to wake up Fang. Soon Panthera joined them. When they got there, Fang's door was locked. The group moved out of the way to let Claira get to the door. She stood at the door and picked the lock with ease. They all sneaked into the room and closed the door behind them. The room was very dark, but you could still see Fangs blond hair (It was red, but she changed it for some reason) Spice could barely keep herself from laughing as Dragon Heart walked to Fang's bed. Dragon Heart bent down close to her ear and whispered.

"Run, Fang, run," her voice was deep and low. Fang rustled in her sleep and everyone almost burst out in laughter. Spice had to cover her mouth to mute the giggles. "Faster, faster!" Fang rolled to the edge of the bed. "It's got ya!" Fang jumped and fell off of the bed with a thud. Everyone burst into hysteria as Fang looked up confused.

"What's going on?" Fang asked. Claira clicked on the light while trying to explain.

"You- giggle- were dreaming and," she laughed out again.

"I scared you!" Dragon Heart finished while laughing. Fang understood now and crossed her arms still sitting on the floor.

"Ya'll are mean to a girl trying to sleep!" she said sourly.

"Aww, come on, Fang," Spice help her sister up with a smile, "You slept in anyway." Fang smiled despite herself. They walked out while talking and laughing. Dragon Heart couldn't help but feel at home with all of her sisters. It felt normal for once.

Game shop

Yugi had woken up, and sat waiting for the others. He still couldn't believe she was gone. He still held hope that she would come back, but that hope was fading fast.

The bell of the shop rang and the voices of Joey, Tristan and Duke. Yugi came out to meet them. Tea and Talon were there too. They greeted each other cheerfully. All except Talon, he was in a strangely solemn mood. Yugi was slightly worried, but didn't bother him in his thoughts.

Kaiba Corp

The girls separated into each room and changed into some outing cloths. They had all agreed to go shopping (although Claira and Dragon Heart were strongly against shopping). There was to be a ball the next night and almost everyone in Domino was invited. It was the dance that Dragon Heart (and maybe some of her sisters) would choose a husband for her reign as queen.

Dragon Heart was ready first. She wore some tight, boot-cut, blue jeans with a blue shirt that complimented her eyes nicely. She also wore some black boots and her blue necklace. Each sister had their own color necklace. Her hair was neatly pulled up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face.

Claira came out next. She wore Black jeans and shirt. The shirt showing some stomach. Her hair was the same, and her necklace was black jewel. She walked over to Dragon Heart.

"Do we really have to do this?" Claira asked a bit sarcastically. Dragon Heart nodded.

"Do you want to go to a huge ball wearing a T-shirt and jeans?" Dragon Heart replied. Claira sighed and crossed her arms.

Spice came out and walked over. She wore an orange shirt with some dark blue jeans. She wore some high heels that were covered by her jeans. Her hair was down but she wore a head band to keep it out of the way. Her necklace was a ruby.

Fang and Panthera came out at the same time. Fang wore a light blue shirt and some white pants. She had some clips to hold back her long bangs. Panthera wore a tight black T-shirt with camo pants.

"We ready?" Dragon Heart asked. Everyone agreed and they walked out. As they walked down the hall they heard someone coming.

Kaiba walked around the corner and froze. He was holding his head to stop the pounding of a headache, and his eyes were wide. Four girls stared back at him. Fang jumped out and walked over to him.

"Ya like my new hair Kaiba?" she asked sweetly leaning against him. Spice saw the moment and shove out of the group before Kaiba could answer.

"Hey, Kaiba wanna go shopping with us?" she put her arm in his. He couldn't pull away. As Fang grabbed his other arm, Panthera walked behind him and pushed him along.

"Come on, company boy," she said slyly. Dragon Heart and Claira moved over while Kaiba was shoved by.

"Look at the 'lady's man' go," Dragon Heart said quietly.

"Come on, Dragon," Claira said, following the group down the hall, "We need to save him before something happens." Dragon Heart followed with her arms crossed.

"Do you like him?" Dragon Heart asked bluntly. Claira stopped. Dragon Heart walked past and turned around. "He IS cute." She added. Claira continued walking after a second.

"Asking me, he's already taken," she said not giving Dragon Heart a straight answer. Dragon Heart smiled as she followed Claira out.

City

Yugi and the group watched as Joey dueled a kid for fun. It was a surprisingly close duel, but the group had no doubt that Joey was going to win. Talon didn't seem his cheerful self, and it was worrying Yugi.

"Is something wrong?" Yugi asked Talon while the others were preoccupied with the duel. Talon snapped out of his thought and looked at Yugi, not even trying to smile.

"Yugi," he said quietly, "We need to talk…alone." Yugi looked at the others. Joey had just won and was celebrating in the usual Joey kinda way.

"Ok, let me tell the others," He walked over and Talon watched as he explained. As he came back Talon looked up at the others and tried a smile.

"I'll see you guys later," he said. He then turned to Yugi, "Let's go to my house." Yugi didn't object. Telling by Talon's voice, he wasn't in a mood to argue.

When they got there Talon walked straight upstairs to Dragon Heart's room and paused at the door.

"Yugi," he said again not looking back. Yugi stopped behind him. Yami was watching and began to feel a little worried. "What happens now must remain a secret. Everything I say and do must never leave this room. Understand?" Yugi waited and thought.

"Promise," he finally said. Yami took over and put his hand on Talon's shoulder. "What do you want to say?" Talon opened the door while speaking.

"Dragon Heart is a very complicated girl, even for a girl," he said slowly as he walked into the room and stood in the middle. Yami followed. "Things that have happened to her have cut and scarred her so deep that she can barely keep on a smile." He walked to a large black dresser. "The way she has held on to life is amazing to me, because I know what she has gone through. You and your friends, on the other hand, only know her as a simple girl with a dark history." He opened a drawer and pulled out a black book, "I need to help you understand why she's done what she has." He turned around and looked Yami in the eyes. His glare was unbelievably serious, "You, of all people, should understand that her past is closely connected to these happenings. It's funny," he forced out a slight chuckle, "We've been together since birth and I still can't understand her motives, but…" he looked at the book then back at Yami, "She is very happy and calm when around you. And that's why I want you to have this." He pushed the book into Yami's arms.

"What is this?" Yami asked opening to the first page. His eyes widened as he read the large letters: The Dairy of Dragon Heart Malitarin. Why are you giving this to me?" He looked up. Talon was looking down and tears were forcing their way into his eyes.

"Dragon Heart can't tell you what she's gone through because it was so painful," he said a little choked. "She really wants you to know." Yami looked down at the book as he closed it.

"I don't know if I should…" Yami felt as if he was invading her privacy, but Talon insisted. He wasn't going to change his mind.

That night Yugi lay on his back in his bed staring at the book in his hands. He still hadn't worked up enough courage to read it, but what was he supposed to do? The puzzle lay beside him and Yami was standing by the bed.

"I think I'm ready," Yugi said. Yami nodded and sat on the side of the bed. Yugi delicately open to the first page. It had the title of the book and one entry.

_Dear NEW dairy,_

_Talon got me this dairy for my tenth B-Day! Isn't he sweet?_

_I got a necklace from my mom. She says it's a tradition every time a girl in our family turns ten. I can't wait to see what Claira gets! I'll write more soon!_

Yugi paused and turned the page. There was a picture of Dragon Heart and Talon at the top of the page. They were smiling with their arms over each other's shoulders, and Dragon Heart was holding up her necklace. The next entry was more about Claira's birthday. The third entry had something new.

_Discovery-day one of escape,_

_It's horrible! My family wants to offer me to the Masters! I almost can't believe it. My heart aches. I am in my room now, crying. How could they do this to me! I must be strong and move on to my escape. I can't sit around and just wine, I must act. I will attempt to convince Talon to help me tonight._

Yugi stopped and looked at Yami. "She was only ten!" he said in shock. Yami looked away in thought then turned back. Yugi turned back to the book as well.

_Day two of escape,_

_Talon agreed to help me, but he is a little shocked by my discovery. I can only look to him for comfort now. Nothing mom or father say seems to help anymore. I love them so much it hurts to leave. I have vowed to return for them once I am able. Claira doesn't believe the Shadow Flames are evil and I dare not tell anyone else. I feel ill and must rest. Tomorrow night Talon and I are escaping. _

Yugi turned the page. This story was getting interesting to him and was answering a lot of questions already.

_Day four of escape,_

_We have succeeded. My old life is behind me now, but the war has just begun. We are staying in the desert until Talon can find a home- a temporary home at least. It gets very cold in the desert. It's not all bad, though. There are so many things I've never seen in the desert. I got to see the city, too. Of course I couldn't go in yet. I just saw it from a hilltop. It is huge! I took some pictures that I have put in here._

There was a picture of the city from a distance and some wildlife: a lizard, vulture and a strange-looking cactus. Yugi closed the book. They had read a lot already, and it had gotten late. He put the book on his desk with the puzzle.

"We'll have to read more of it later," he said climbing back in his bed. Yami agreed and disappeared back into the puzzle.

That afternoon in the city

The girls piled out of Kaiba's limo moving into a store. Kaiba had loaned them the limo to get them off his back; easy enough except Spice had snatched his Visa on her way out. They all began to pick dresses almost immediately. They had a blast picking and trying on some of the most expensive.

"How about this one for you, Dragon?" Fang held up and slender blue dress. Dragon looked it over.

"I don't know," she replied, "It shows a little much."

"Oh, c'mon," Fang shoved it into her arms, "You need to be less conservative and impress someone!" She pushed Dragon Heart into a dressing room. "Try it on; you'll love it." Dragon Heart sighed and put it on. As she stepped out everyone gasped and agreed. It was beautiful on her and fit her perfectly.

"We found a winner folks!" Spice said as she looked around for something for me." Everyone laughed and Dragon Heart went back in the dressing room to change back.

As Fang rummages through some outfits she heard some other group yelling. They were on the other side of the store in the men's department and one guy wasn't happy. She snaked around to the area and peeked around the corner. It was Joey who was yelling his disapproval about a shirt Tea was holding up. Fang raised an eyebrow. Joey was cute!

"You must be crazy if you want me to wear dat!" Joey yelled.

"Fine!" Tea replied as she put the shirt back, "I'll find something else." Fang walked to a stand and pretended to be looking trough them. Joey stood pouting when he saw her. She looked at him and winked with a smile. He blushed and looked away. Fang was about to walk over when she heard her name called. She huffed and walked back over. Panthera was holding up a red dress that looked like a ballroom dress. Everyone was laughing.

"Wanna wear this, Fang?" Panthera asked sarcastically.

"Hey! I was flirting with a cute guy!" Everyone stopped laughing and looked with interest.

"Who?" everyone asked at once.

"Come on, I'll show you," She sneaked over and pointed Joey out in the group. "Isn't he the cutest! So handsome!" They giggled and whispered. Dragon Heart recognized him of course, but didn't say anything about that.

"Why don't we invite him to the ball?" Dragon Heart suggested, "Then maybe you could dance." Fang gasped.

"We could!" She said as if the idea was life-changing. She pulled out some pieces of paper.

"What are those?" Dragon Heart asked curiously.

"They're invites for a situation just like this."

"What kind of situation?"

"When I run into a cute guy, and want him to come!" She walked over to Joey. "Hey." Joey looked at her confused.

"Hi," he replied.

"I was wondering if you would like to come to a dance my family's hosting," she held out the invites, "Your friends can come, too." She smiled as he took them.

"I guess so, thanks!" Fang smiled.

"Don't be late," she walked back over to the other side of the store.

"Wow," Joey looked at the invitations. Wait till Yug hears about this." Tea looked at Joey.

"Now we really need to find you something to wear," she said.

"What's wrong with what I wear!" He blurted. Fang and her sisters bought their stuff and left with smiles galore. Tomorrow would be some night!

Whoo- hoo! This is going to be a ball! Literally! Ha-ha! Anoywho, I hope you like it! - (R&R)


	15. Hello's and Goodbye's

Alright, note from me: Typing Dragon Heart is getting hard so sometimes she'll be called Dragon for short. Get it? Got it? Good. -

There are a few chapters before the ball thing so…just enjoy!

**Hellos and Goodbyes**

Kaiba walked back into his building. He barely escaped the girl parade and he needed to get some things done before the supposed party tomorrow night. He walked into his office and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't seen him this morning, but Craigfire the dragon sat in the middle of the floor and gave a greeting roar. Kaiba hadn't notice Craigfire's colors last night. His scales were a dark silver and his eyes a bright green. He walked in and patted the dragon on the nose.

"Hey, bud," he said sleepily. A voice appeared in his mind clear and loud.

"Why did you leave?" It said. Kaiba looked around, but no one was around. When he looked back to Craigfire, the dragon's tail thumped.

"You can…talk?" Craigfire cocked his head slightly.

"Just to you!" the voice said again. Kaiba couldn't put the pieces together until Craigfire pointed a black talon to Kaiba's wrist. "Because of pendant." He spoke. Kaiba looked at the wristband with the blue jewel set in it.

"It connects us?"

"Yes. You and I partners!" The dragon purred loudly. Kaiba sighed and walked to his desk. It was then he noticed the shattered window. Craigfire walked over on all fours and looked at the window (or what was left of the window).

"I have a lot of things to do," Kaiba said wearily.

"Sorry," Craigfire apologized. Kaiba sighed and plopped into his chair. Craigfire lay down in the middle of the floor again and rested his large head on the ground. "Can't we go somewhere?" Craigfire asked sadly. Kaiba ignored him and continued working.

After about two hours there was a knock on Kaiba's door. Craigfire's head shot up.

"What do you want?" Kaiba yelled while still working. Claira opened the door and shut it behind her. Craigfire roared happily and ran to her, thrusting his head into her arms.

"Nice to see you both," Claira patted the dragon's nose and walked over to Kaiba's desk. "What ya working on?" she said as she stared at his face. He glared back at her.

"That's none of your business," he replied sharply. She barely heard him. He had such nice eyes. She silently snapped out of it and dug in her pocket.

"Fine," she retorted, "Just wanted you to make sure you had your invite." She slid the invitation across his desk. "And don't worry, the girls won't be hounding you, I'll make sure of that for ya." Claira turned around and walked out. Kaiba looked at the paper and back at Claira as she left. Why was she being so nice?

"Thanks," he forced out. She stopped and smiled. He could not see it but she was smiling.

"No problem," Claira tried to use the hard voice she had come in with. She walked out and shut the door. Craigfire looked from the door to Kaiba.

"You like her?" Craigfire asked. Kaiba looked at him spitefully.

"No I don't like her!" he yelled. He stood up and walked out. He needed to take a walk. Craigfire stood up in a rustle.

"Can I come?" He asked excitedly. Kaiba groaned.

"I guess." Craigfire smiled showing his sharp razor-like teeth. He followed Kaiba out of the room and out into the backyard for a walk.

Roof of Kaiba Corp

Dragon and Claira sat side by side staring into the city. There legs hung over the side of the building lazily. They had changed cloths into matching outfits with slightly different designs.

The pants were long and black with black boots. The shirts were slightly different. Dragon's was a tight black T-Shirt with a deep V neck. Claira's was a tank top that showed stomach. They both wore black, long-sleeved trench coats that blew in the wind. (They aren't gravity-defying like Kaiba's, sorry.) Dragon wore her blue necklace and Claira had her black one. They mostly wore them everywhere for your info. They both had their hair in a ponytail.

The two had been sitting there for at least an hour now and neither had said a word.

They were both the oldest and meanest of the Kidera sisters, but Dragon's darkness had faded because of the pharaoh. The two's bond had been worn thin from the fighting, and Claira was having her doubts about Dragon's loyalty.

"So," Claira began, "You ready for that ball?" Dragon Heart shrugged.

"I guess," She answered, "I don't really know how I'm going to choose."

"I'll help ya," Claira smiled, "I'm going to be looking for a guy too, ya know." Dragon looked at her.

"Really?"

"Yup; you're not the only one who needs a guy. You need a backup just in case." Dragon chuckled.

"What about the others?"

"Don't know; they do seem to care but their marriages aren't as important."

"Yeah, you're right."

Kaiba Corp.

Kaiba walked into the back yard with Craigfire close behind. He didn't even notice Mokuba run out behind him until he heard a childish scream. Kaiba turned around and Mokuba ran behind him in fear. Craigfire held his head low and looked at Mokuba.

"Did I do wrong?" he asked Kaiba a little confused. Kaiba didn't answer.

"It's ok, Mokuba," Kaiba comforted. Mokuba didn't take his eyes of the beast. "He's friendly. I bet you can even ride him." Mokuba looked up.

"Really?" he asked then looked back at Craigfire. Craigfire stepped slowly closer with his head lower than Mokuba's.

"Mokuba, this is Craigfire. Craigfire, this is Mokuba, my little brother." Craigfire gave a purr.

"Hello, Mokuba," he said, even though Mokuba could not hear him. Mokuba reached out and touched his snout. Craigfire pushed through his hand and against his chest. Mokuba laughed and petted between the dragon's eyes.

Kaiba was glad they got along, and continued walking, leaving the two to play.

Game shop the next day

Yugi awoke and sat up. It wasn't too early, but sleeping didn't come easy for him. The questions from last night still haunted him. He got dressed and headed outside. When he got down the stairs he stopped, looking at the couch. Just a few nights ago, Tracy slept there.

"Hey, Yug!" Joey yelled as he walked through the door. Yugi came out and greeted his friends.

"Hey guys," he replied.

"Guess what; I got an invite to a party!" Joey produced the invitations. Yugi took one.

"Wow, who gave them to you?" Joey thought for a second.

"Her name was… Fang, I think," Joey thought some more. Yugi had a bad feeling about this. "You can have one too, Yugi." Joey said. "She gave me four."

"We still need to find you something to wear," Tea added. Joey looked surprised.

"What's wrong with what I wear?" Tea sighed. And Tristan shoved past the two.

"Hey," He divided the two and looked at Yugi. "You comin' or what?" Yugi thought for a second.

"Um, I'll meet you in a few minutes; I've got something to do first."

"Ok, we'll be at the mall," Tea said.

"Oh, no you're not going to get me back in there…" They continued to argue while they left the shop. Yugi stood in the silence for a minute looking at the door; thinking.

He headed back to his room and shut the door. Taking the book from the side of the desk, he sat down and opened it slowly. He had to read more, at least before that ball. Yami looked over Yugi's shoulder as he read out loud:

_Dear diary,_

_I don't feel so well today. Most of it's probably because I saw Claira today; in one of the most unexpected places: the street. The way she looked at me…I felt…like I was doing wrong. Is what I'm doing really right? Am I on a wild goose chase that never ends? I just don't know right now. She gave me a note, too. It made my illness even worse. I need rest._

The next page had a crinkled piece of paper in between the pages. It was in a very hard to read handwriting, and it started off very mean:

_You betrayed us. All of us. Even Mom and Dad have been betrayed. Mom is even getting sick. She can't believe you left. She loved you Dragon; and she will until she dies. But I'm different. I don't think I can ever forgive you._

"Man," Yugi said after he finished the note, "That must have been hard." Yami nodded in agreement.

"She's been going through that all her life…" he said quietly. Yugi continued.

_Dear Diary, _

_We have rented an apartment in the city! It's very exciting and has raised my spirits greatly. I've taken more pictures, too. Talon is also trying to get a job in the museum as a guard, but it's difficult. We have to create a past so that we do not blow our cover. I think Talon's name is now Sam, but I don't like that name. Luckily, he does not want me to change my name. _

The next page had more pictures; some where of Talon and the museum and the new apartment. Yugi was torn from the book by his Grandpa's voice.

"Yugi!" he yelled, "Someone's here to see you!" Yugi closed the book and put it in a drawer. It's probably Joey, he thought, coming to tell him to hurry up. But then Grandpa would have just let them come up.

He walked out and looked down the steps. There stood Dragon Heart looking at him with a weak smile.

"Hey, Yugi," she said sweetly. He stopped at the top of the stairs and stared. She was wearing a yellow shirt and some short jean pants. Her hand was holding a backpack on her shoulder.

"Tracy?" he replied. Dragon closed her eyes and smiled wider.

"Yeah it's me…Tracy." Yami took over and walked down the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he walked up.

"I wanted to…give you something for taking care of me for a couple of days."

"You don't have to-"

"No, I want to. And I need to tell you goodbye," her voice got weak, "Because my family doesn't want me to see you and all; ya know, the pharaoh and all." Yami sighed.

"So you've really given up?" Dragon looked at the floor.

"I'm just tired of running from the inevitable." They stood for a moment before Dragon Heart pulled the backpack from behind her and opened it.

"This is for you to remember me by, ok?" Yami nodded, not knowing what else to say. She dug for a second and pulled out a small dragon. Yami's eyes widened.

Its scales were a deep green and it had beady black eyes. His claws and spikes were also black. He barely fit in Dragon Heart's hand being at least a foot long. He gave a gruff screeching greeting.

"His name is Crouton, and he's a good listener," she explained, "Take him." Yami held out his hands and Dragon placed the lizard in them gently. Crouton purred and sniffed the new hands happily. "He doesn't take much to keep; can go days without anything and will eat anything. Do you like him?" Yami looked at her.

"I don't want you to leave," he said. Dragon looked at him.

"I know but I don't want to have to run anymore and I feel better already. Please don't make me feel bad." Yami let out a breath. She was doing wrong, but seeing her sad hurt. He nodded.

"I do like him." Dragon's smile returned, and he smiled, too.

"Well, I'd better go before Claira begins to wonder."

"…ok." Dragon stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged Yami. Yami released Crouton and returned the hug. They stayed for a minute until Dragon looked into his eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said softly, and stepped back, "Maybe I'll touch base later." Yami couldn't say anything. She smiled and left silently. He stood for a minute before his thoughts were interrupted by the small dragon's raspy cry. Yugi took back over and looked at the dragon. It was sitting on his shoulder staring at him with a smile.

"Do you think Tracy fed him?" Yugi asked Yami. Yami looked at it.

"No, what do you think it eats?" Yugi shrugged.

"Let's go see what we have in the refrigerator." He walked into the kitchen with Crouton on his shoulder. "Hm, what do dragons eat…?" He decided on a leftover chicken leg and then headed back upstairs. Crouton immediately noticed he had left and flew behind him, chicken in his hind claws.

After opening the book, Yugi gave a ragged sigh. Here he was, reading the dairy of the girl that had just risked her neck to visit and trust him.

"This seems so wrong…" he whispered to Yami. Yami nodded agreement. "Why are we doing this?"

"Because," Yami replied, "Talon said this hold secrets that could help us save Tracy from the Shadow Flames." Yugi knew he was right and continued to read.

_Dear Dairy, _

_I finally finished unpacking what little we have and it's beginning to feel a wee bit normal. A TV is something we've never had. One was in one of the closets of our apartment so I need to find out how to work it. Talon is acting a little distracted lately. It worries me a little. I'm going to get a job, too; a baby sitter of all jobs. I do have experience with my sisters and all, but other kids make me nervous. I hope I don't get swamped._

There where some more pictures, one being the TV and a few others. There was also a cut out of a local paper with her add in it. Her name was Sylva in the article. Next page:

_Sylva, Sylva, Sylva! I could barely remember it at my first baby sitting family! It was kinda embarrassing, but I don't think they noticed. I'm so tired. That three-year-old was a tornado! I may not write as often now, because I can barely stay awake at night now._

There was another picture in the middle of the page of Talon. He had fallen asleep on the couch and Tracy had drawn a mustache on his face. There where big red words written on the picture: STRESSED!

_Ok, it's been a few months and I finally quit my babysitting job. It was too stressful and the house was becoming a mess. I say house, but we still live in the apartment. The reason I was able to quit is because Talon got promoted to a guard at the museum. He's anxious now, because there supposed to get some new artifact from some place called France. I want to go see them when they come._

Crouton interrupted Yugi's reading with a deep growl. Yugi looked at him and heard the knock on the door. He quickly shut the book and shoved it under some schoolbooks.

"Who is it?" he called. Joey walked in.

"Hey, Yug, what's keeping y"- he froze and stared at the small growling dragon on the desk. "What the"- Crouton leapt at Joey and landed on his face.

"AAAAAAAA!" He stepped back and grabbed the dragon. After being thrown down, Crouton leapt again. Yugi grabbed him right in front of its back legs. Crouton yelped, but Yugi kept his hold.

"He's my friend!" he told the dragon angrily. Crouton stopped growling and looked at Yugi. Yugi dropped him and he jumped back up to Yugi's shoulder.

"What is that?" Joey asked, staring at the now friendly lizard.

"His name's Crouton and Tracy gave him to me."

"Tracy came back?"

"Yeah, for a little while anyway." Yugi looked down

"And…?"

"Well…she didn't say much."

"Oh, ok; well, ya comin or what?" Yugi snapped out of his daydream and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go." He took Crouton and put him in his backpack. Crouton didn't enjoy this, but he had no choice. They headed out while Joey recapped how he barely escaped Tea and the mall.

Kaiba Corp.

Claira sat on the roof and watched the city tick. Dragon Heart's words from the first day Claira had seen her in years echoed in her head. "You'll see… You'll know what's right soon enough…" It was driving her up a wall! What was she talking about?

A cool breeze blew by, and Claira put one of her stray brown bangs that had escaped the ponytail behind one ear. And to make her mind think even more, Dragon had disappeared all morning saying: "I'm going to clear my head for a bit."

"Ugh!" Claira massaged her temples. Her sister had become so different all of the sudden. She looked down to the ground far below to see Dragon Heart returning to the building. Great, now she could find out where Dragon had been.

Claira stood on the edge and jumped. A large black dragon that was sleeping behind her woke and jumped quickly to follow her. It caught up to her and she mounted while falling. When they got close the ground the dragon pulled up and slowed their freefall. They delicately landed, and Claira dismounted. That was much faster than the elevator.

"Hey, Dragon!" she called. Dragon Heart turned around.

"Hey Claira, what's up?"

"Where did you go?"

"I told you, I wanted to clear my head." Claira put her hand on her hip.

"Yeah, right. What did you really go do?" Dragon sighed.

"I went to…clear my conscience."

"No…you went to see the pharaoh, didn't you." Dragon nodded reluctantly. "Why?"

"I wanted to show him I wasn't a brainwashed zombie!"

"And why would he think that?"

"BECAUSE!" They fell silent. "…because…he cares about me…" Claira huffed.

"You really need to let him go," she retorted. Dragon didn't reply. It was true, but…

"Claira…?" Dragon asked after a long pause, "Have you ever thought you were doing to wrong thing?" Claira blinked. Dragon didn't really doubt her heritage; did she?

"Not really."

"Not once?"

"No."

"…I did." Claira's eyebrows rose.

"We kinda knew that." Dragon wasn't fazed by Claira's sarcasm.

"I still don't know if I'm on the right side." After saying that, Dragon Heart continued into the building. Claira hated when Dragon talked like that; it got irritating. But something about her tone seemed to get Claira's mind tinkering, and on a subject she did not enjoy. She sighed and followed Dragon into Kaiba Corp.


	16. Preperations

No own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Preparation**

Yugi and Joey found the others walking out of a pizza place. They were holding two pizzas.

"Hey guys!" Tea greeted, "What took so long?" Joey didn't answer. Yugi had made him promise not to tell Tea about Crouton.

"I was reading something," Yugi replied. "What are the pizzas for?"

"Well, Tristan was getting hungry so I got three, but he ate one before you got here." They laughed and sat down at one of the outdoor tables.

Meanwhile Crouton sat on the backpack starring up at a small light. The zipper of the backpack was slightly open and a wonderful smell wafted to Crouton's nose. He smelled happily. _Mmmm… pepperoni…_, he thought to himself. Maybe if he could just get a nibble… he shoved his nose in the hole and it unzipped a little. His wagging tail rustled some paper. _Oh, boy!_ He bent low and shot up, unzipping the rest.

When he jumped on the table he gave a cry of victory. Tea screamed, Tristan spewed coke everywhere, and Joey and Yugi leapt to catch Crouton.

"Gotcha!" Joey yelled when he gripped Crouton's small body. His hands held right on the little lizard's arms and wings. As he was being pulled off the table, Crouton locked his jaws around one of Joey's fingers.

"OOWWW that hurt!" Joey released and Crouton headed again for the pizza. Yugi caught him right behind the head and pulled him quickly off the table. Tea screeched again.

"What is that?" she yelled staring at him. Crouton was squirming around until Yugi bopped him on the nose.

"His name's Crouton," he said as he sat the dragon down. Plucking a piece of pepperoni off of one of his slices, he gave it to the begging Crouton and he ate it happily. "Don't worry, he's harmless." Crouton let out a purr of pleasure as he swallowed the last bite of food.

"Where did he come from?" Yugi hesitated.

"Tracy gave him to me…"

"Really? When?" Tristan asked.

"Today, that's on of the reasons it took me a while."

"Wow…So is she really done with us?" Yugi nodded.

"She says so, but doesn't seem too sure of her decision." He stroked Crouton on the head. "I hope I see her again soon."

Dragon Heart's room

Dragon Heart stared at her blue gem as she held it above her face. She was lying in her bed with a small lamp on. She had changed into her night clothes and had slept for about an hour before waking up restless.

Tomorrow was the ball that she would host and, at the end, choose a husband, but how was she supposed to do that when she already loved the pharaoh? She twirled the gem lazily. This wasn't fair at all. She sat up and looked at her dress she was to wear at the ball. It was a deep blue dress that was a very nice fit on her figure. It had a few sparkles here and there, and had a split clean up to her hip. It matched her eyes perfectly.

All her sisters had nice dresses as well, but Dragon hadn't seen them all yet. She was too preoccupied with her problems. She got out of bed and opened the door to her room. Everyone was asleep now so she was completely undetected. She stepped out and headed downstairs.

When she reached the door, she opened and closed it without a sound. The cool night air was a refreshing wake up call. The stars were out tonight and there was no moon. Dew had already settled on the green grass. A perfect night, but her heart felt like something wasn't right. Something was…off. She shifted uneasily before walking out to the road.

Her bare feet felt the cold concrete and it made a chill go up her spine. She walked all the way to the park and sat by the pond. She was so silent, the swans didn't even stir from there sleep in the shore. There bills were hidden in the soft white wings and there bodies where huddled together.

Dragon sat and let her mind wander from idea to idea freely. The ball was a large one; the whole city to choose from; dress; Yami. Her mind stuck. No, not him. She shook her head and looked at the swans. One was staring at her with its beady black eyes; not blinking or anything. She stood and left as quietly as she came.

Her legs walked where they wanted, and she ended up outside of the Game Shop. She stared for a long time and sighed. This place gave her the strangest feeling. She wanted to enter, but she also wanted to be as far away as possible. All of her feelings were clashing, making her stomach turn. Looking around, she snapped herself away from the confusing thoughts. It was time to head back home before someone noticed she was gone.

After arriving successfully to her room, Dragon collapsed on the bed. Rest was a good idea since she and her sisters would be setting up the ball before it actually happened. She didn't even know why they called it a ball; they weren't going to wear ballroom dresses or anything. Oh, well, it was her Father's decision so she didn't…care…

Dragon Heart woke to the sound of music from her radio. It was a nice song so she listened for a while until it was over. After it was over, she got up and stretched, taking another look at the blue dress. The butterflies rose on her stomach as she thought about the dance.

"DRAAAAGONNNN!" Dragon Heart flinched as her name echoed through the halls to her room. Telling by the voice, it was Fang, the young one. It was easy to tell she was the youngest; her immature ways of thinking and all. She burst through the door and stared at Dragon Heart.

"Good, you're up!" she said happily. It pulled on Dragon's nerves.

"Yeah, after that," she growled back, "I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack." Fang giggled, proud of her achievement.

"Claira wants you to help her in the weapons room." Dragon nodded and Fang left. Weapons room? She should be helping get ready. Dragon Heart stood and stretched lazily, not even minding to change out of her night cloths.

She found Claira right were she said she would be polishing a new sword. This room was large and was used to hold the girl's weapon collection.

"Where'd you get that one?" Dragon Heart asked standing next to Claira.

"Oh, I just got it from a demon in the shadow realm." Claira replied. Dragon nodded.

"It's nice; tried it out yet?" Claira looked at her and saw the grin plastered on her face; her blood red eyes glared at her competitively. Claira smiled.

"As a matter of fact I haven't." Dragon walked down the wall observing the swords. Her eyes scanned up and down to find the right sword. There; it was the Black Dragon Blade. It had a black, spiked handle with a flame-like shaped blade. The perfect sword to use in this particular battle.

She took it from the mount and swung it around; she swung it in front of her face and looked at the blade carefully, then her eyes clicked up to Claira. She was standing on the other side of the room with her fighting suit on. It was just like the stuff she wore usually- black long pants, black boots, and a black shirt that showed her stomach. Not a surprise.

Dragon Heart was suddenly engulfed in black flame. When it faded she no longer wore her night cloths, but she was in her black fighting outfit. It was tight and black with long pants and a no-sleeve shirt. After she put up her hair in a ponytail, Dragon took a stance.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Ready." Claira replied.

"Three…"

"Two."

"One!" They lunged at each other and clashed swords. Jumping back in a split second, they jumped again with extreme force. This time, Claira overpowered Dragon and they tumbled on the floor.

"Oh, C'mon, Dragon!" Claira said as she jumped back from her sister. "You used to kick my butt at sword fights! It isn't that goody-two-shoes Pharaoh is it?"

"Leave him out of this!" Dragon shot.

"Aww, did I hit a soft spot?" Dragon jumped at Claira and, as Claira dodged, she sliced across. She barely missed Claira and shot toward her again. Claira was slightly surprised.

"He is not my 'soft spot'!" Dragon yelled. Claira couldn't help but laugh as they continued fighting skillfully.

"He SO is! I can tell by the reaction!" This only made Dragon angrier. Dragon got the upper hand for a few minutes, but Claira flipped it around and landed on top of dragon. Just as she did, Kaiba walked in and stopped. Claira and Dragon both stared at him for a second. Dragon broke the silence by flipping Claira onto her back and laughing.

"HA HA! You let your guard down!" Claira got up and glared at Dragon.

"Gee, thanks for letting me know." She growled. Kaiba blinked.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Kaiba asked, not wanting to be attacked.

"No," Claira replied. "Dragon was just going to find father." She hinted forcefully. Dragon faked a pout before putting the sword back and walking out.

"Fine," she said smiling while walking past Kaiba, "I leave you two to your business." After Dragon Heart was out of earshot, Claira turned around, put her sword back on the table and began polishing it.

"What ya need?" she asked casually. Kaiba didn't say anything at first, because he had no idea why he was here. Somehow, his legs just walked over this way. He suddenly caught himself staring at Claira, and looked at the wall instead. After not hearing him say anything, Claira peeked back at him.

"Well?" She asked again. He looked at her.

"I just heard you and your sister fighting," He mustered. Claira smiled and turned back to her sword.

"We do that a lot; it's no big deal." A long pause followed. _What am I_ _doing here!_ Kaiba thought to himself, _I'm acting like a complete idiot_. He turned to leave. "Hey," Claira started and Kaiba waited, "You gonna be at the party?" Kaiba looked at her; she was leaning on the table staring at him.

"I thought it was a ball." He corrected.

"Call it what you want; you going?"

"I'm going to be busy tonight."

"You're always busy, Seto." She walked up to him. "Take a break from it for one night, and have some fun. Oh, and don't worry about my sisters." With that, she walked past him and down the hall. Kaiba stood for a moment. He had been busy lately and did need a break. He thought about it as he walked back to his office.

Dragon Heart walked in to the large room that was going to be used for the ball. It was slightly decorated, but it wasn't close to ready. There was a platform in the process of being built and a large chair that was for her. She was going to watch the party for a while before she was allowed to actually dance. Then she remembered the invites Fang had given Joey and her heart fluttered. That meant Yami would be there! At first she was ecstatic, but her heart sank quickly. She wasn't supposed to see him anymore. She sighed.

"I miss you, Yami…" She whispered. As she headed back to her room she saw Spice with a handful of fabric. "Need some help?" she asked grabbing some from Spice's hands. Spice glared at her.

"Where have you been?" she retorted. Dragon smiled.

"Sleeping in," she replied, walking beside Spice back to the ballroom. "Did I miss much?" Spice shook her blond hair back and forth.

"Just a lot of work; your lucky Father is willing to do all this for you."

Dragon nodded. She didn't want this to happen, but if Yami is there she might feel a bit better. Spice looked at her silent sister.

"What's on your mind?" She inquired. Dragon snapped out of it and looked at Spice.

"I'm just a little nervous about tonight. I mean, it's going to be huge and all for me! I just don't know what to think."

"You don't have to freak; we're all going to be there and you won't be the only girl looking at all the hot guys!" Dragon smiled and Spice laughed out loud. "So, what kinda guy you lookin for?" Dragon thought about it and Yami appeared.

"Well, he has to be kind yet strong. And nice eyes…" She smiled wider as she traced Yami's character for what she was looking for. "Oh, and funny; he has to be able to make me laugh." Spice smiled at the thought.

"My dream guy will be strong and handsome," Spice began. They arrived at the ballroom and worked as they talked. Soon it was noon and they stopped for a break. Dragon was a good cook and soon the smell of fried chicken and ham wafted through the halls. Claira, Panthera, and Fang soon joined Spice and Dragon in the kitchen. Gormize also arrived sniffing the air dramatically.

"Mmm, My Dragon Heart," Gormize began, "We definitely missed your wonderful cooking when you were gone!" He sat at a large table as Panthera set the table.

"Claira," Fang said sitting, "Why don't you go get Seto?" Claira glared at Fang.

"Why don't you go?" she shot back. Fang shrugged and Claira decided she could use the quiet walk. She went to Kaiba's office and found only Craigfire in the middle of the room. "Hey, Craigfire, where's Seto?" Craigfire lifted his large head and looked at Claira for a moment. He then stood, stretched and walked out into the hall with Claira following behind. They came to a room where Kaiba was watching a simulation on a large screen of a duel. Claira didn't pay any attention to the screen. She stood beside Kaiba and waited for it to finish. When it did, Kaiba wasn't pleased.

"Do it again, and get it right this time!" He yelled. Claira thought for a second as the men spoke their apologies.

"That simulation is incorrect," she stated. Kaiba stared at her and the men went silent.

"Nonsense!" one worker said in an insulted tone. "Our simulators are 99 accurate!" Claira glared at him.

"Your. Simulation. Is. Wrong." She said again.

"How is it wrong?" Kaiba asked. Claira smiled.

"How about you come have lunch with me and my sisters and I'll tell ya." With that, she walked out of the room past Craigfire. Kaiba thought for a second before following her to the kitchen.

"What's wrong with my men's simulation?" he asked when he caught up to her.

"It simulates a duel when your opponent always draws the same cards. Usually, that's not the case; especially not with Yugi." Kaiba stared at her in amazement. Dragon Heart was just setting out the hot food when they arrived and smiled cheerily at them.

"I'm glad you agreed to come," she said. The smells made Kaiba hungry so he decided to stay even though Claira had already told him what he wanted to know.

Game Shop

Yugi stood in the middle of his room and looked at the tuxedo Tea had gotten him. Joey had given him and the others an invite to Dragon Heart's party so Tea had thought it appropriate.

Crouton screeched at Yugi; he hadn't been fed since noon. Yugi decided to wait a few more minutes to put on the tux, and went to get Crouton a snack. There wasn't anything in the refrigerator; he made a sandwich instead and gave Crouton a piece of the bread. The dragon stared for a moment before biting into his share. Yugi returned to his room and opened Dragon Heart's diary. Crouton sat on the floor and stared at Yugi as he read.

It wasn't long before Crouton's eyes suddenly dilated, and his spikes stuck strait up. A grinned crept across the small lizards face and he slinked toward Yugi. When he was in good range, he shot a red flame at Yugi's pant leg. Yugi quickly noticed his burning leg and yelled in shock while falling to the floor. Crouton roared and jumped to the table. Yugi patted out the small flame and stared in shock at the dragon on the table.

"What's gotten into you?" he yelled. Crouton spread his wings and roared again before flying to the door, opening it and slipping out. "Wait! Come back!" he ran after Crouton only to find an empty house; Crouton had already made it outside. "Oh, great…now I lost the gift Tracy gave me…" he walked outside and looked around a bit before heading back in. "Why did he freak out?"

"We can't worry about that now," Yami said to Yugi, "we need to get ready to go to that ball." Yugi agreed and walked back to his room.

This is so exciting! Hope you can wait without, you know, bursting into flames or something. -


	17. The Ball!

Finally done! - I'm so sorry for the wait, but I've been having a busy holiday and New Year and school and such. Anyway, I finally finished.

Thank you YGOSMSTP for all the help. I will use some of your ideas in the next chapter as well. -

ON WITH THE SHOW!

**Ball**

Dragon Heart closed the door to her room and glared at the dress. She couldn't believe she was really doing this. And to think Yami would be there expecting answers.

Dragon Heart's POV:

I sighed. No turning back now; Yami wasn't the only one expecting me to show up bold and beautiful. All of Domino's guys where looking for a wonderful princess to dance and maybe love them. Yeah, like that would ever happen. I barely even know what love feels like anymore, but, oh, well.

Walking over to the dress, I tried to think of other things, but it barely worked. My head felt like exploding right then. I could only hope it would get better as the night goes on.

End POV

Dragon emerged from her room in the dress and Claira stood waiting. She wore her red, sleeveless dress and her hair was up; she had her arms crossed impatiently. Dragon Heart spun around and Claira smiled.

"Very nice," She said, "Fang asked if she could do your hair, but if she as slow as you get ready, it might be a problem."

"Oh, well," Dragon replied, "It's been a while since I got into a dress so don't hound me." Claira nodded and led the way to Fang. She was in her room putting still more makeup on. Her dress was light blue with a silk scarf around her solder. "Hey, you wanted to do my hair?" Fang loved doing her sisters up so her face was beaming.

"Come into my parlor…," She said elegantly. Dragon walked in.

"…Said the spider to the fly," Claira finished. They all smiled and Fang began quickly. By the time they where done, Panthera and Spice where ready and waiting. Panthera's dress was plain dark green with a slit to her hip and silk gloves to her elbows. Spice had a golden dress with red flowers on one side. Dragon Heart felt the butterflies again and swallowed.

"You guys think I'll really find a guy tonight?" Dragon asked as they walked to the ballroom.

"Well, that's what dad wants ya to do," Claira replied. She heard her sister sigh. "You don't want to?"

"Oh, I want to, it just…all this for some guy?"

"Hey," Panthera walked up behind them and put a hand on Dragon's shoulder, "If I didn't have to, I wouldn't either." Dragon then noticed the new gold highlights in Panthera's hair.

"When'd you get your hair done?" She asked. Panthera rolled her eyes.

"About thirty minutes ago courtesy of Fang's workshop." Dragon Heart laughed a little.

"It looks nice," She said, "Hey guys." She stopped walking and looked at them. "I need some time to think, k?"

"Alright," Claira said, "I'll hold your tiara."

"I have a tiara?"

"Yup, better hurry." Dragon Heart walked off and navigated to a balcony above the ballroom. People were already filing in. Yami was nowhere in sight.

Dragon Heart's POV:

I knew he was coming. But what would I do when he got there? I couldn't just go out there and dance and hug and act like it's been no time. I couldn't do that anymore. And what about his questions; I knew they'd be there. Would I just say "the heck with you I'm evil now"? Maybe he wouldn't come or something; or I could avoid him…I just couldn't break his heart like that.

"My daughter, what are you doing up here?" Dad said and I turned around. He smiled at me and I returned it.

"Father," I said, "What if I don't want a guy?"

"You will find him and know you want him. That's what I did with your mother. I thought it was better to be alone, but she swept me off my feet." I smiled. I've heard that a lot.

"Thank you, Father. I'd better get back to my sisters." Father nodded and I left.

End POV

She arrived back to the group just in time. The talking through the door silenced and a voice yelled out clear and strong.

"Presenting the princesses of the Dragons themselves!" The doors flung open and the sisters walked out. There was a path to the seats where they were going. Dragon Heart carefully looked around to see if she could spot Yami, but it was no use. He wasn't anywhere to be seen…for now anyway. They got to the thrones and Dragon turned around.

"Thank you all for coming," She said, trying to sound confident, "I hope you enjoy the party." She then sat, a song turned on and everyone began to talk and dance.

"Well," Claira said, "I'm going to see if I can find a dancing partner; you comin?" Dragon shook her head.

"Not yet, but I'll be there soon."

"Ok, see ya," Claira and the others stepped down the stairs. They where offered hands almost immediately; they accepted and disappeared into the crowd. Dragon couldn't get her mind onto the task at hand. It was going eighty miles an hour with her trying to shove down the breaks. Maybe it would calm down with the right song or something.

After a song or two, Dragon stood and stepped down the stairs. A boy stepped through the crowd and gleamed at her. She smiled elegantly as she dared and took his hand. He led her to the floor and they danced to the song. He was a good dancer, but he wasn't who Dragon wanted. She smiled when the dance was over and left the guy. She just wasn't interested. As she made her way to the refreshment table, she was offered many hands, but she politely declined.

When she arrived at the long table she saw Joey standing close. She smiled and walked over, glad to see a friend's face. He looked very nervous.

"Hey, Joey," she said cheerily. Joey looked surprised.

"Hey, Tracy!" he said. Dragon bit her tongue at the name.

"You look very sharp. Who else is here?"

"The whole gang. I think Yugi's lookin for ya." Dragon raised her eyebrows.

"I'd better find him then; oh, what about Talon?" Joey shrugged.

"He wasn't with us."

"Ok, see ya around." Dragon said before turning around.

"Hey, one of ya sistas gave me the invites, is she here?" Dragon smiled at his nervous question.

"I'll see if Fang is open," she walked back into the crowd and searched for her sister. She quickly spotted her and walked over. Fang finished the dance and looked at her waiting sister. "Your blond-headed boyfriend is waiting at the bar." Dragon said. Fang's eyes lit up and she immediately headed over to Joey. As Dragon Heart watched she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Yami standing behind her. Her eyes widened and heart raced.

"Yami!" She said in surprise. Yami smiled. "I didn't think you'd show."

"I came to see you," Yami said in return. He then held out his hand and bowed slightly. "Dance?" He asked. Dragon was flattered and accepted his hand. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

I turned around

Before I could run I found

You already settled down

In the back of my mind.

The whole floor grew silent as everyone dance to the slow music. Claira was searching for Seto quickly in the crowd and didn't even notice the music. When she got out of the crowd Seto was right there; she ran straight into him. His surprised eyes met hers and they stood still for a moment.

I know this

Is just a customary fever

The moon is a deceiver

That will leave you running blind.

Dragon felt calm with Yami near, but a nagging voice told her this wasn't right. She looked at her feet for a moment before looking up into his eyes.

Your heart is pulling

If I didn't know any better

I'd be falling

Deeper and deeper it true.

I hear it calling

If I didn't know any better

And I'd be in love

With you.

Didn't want to

Look in the eyes of the one

That I would be drawn to;

I'm a moth lost in the fire.

"Yami, I missed you," she said to him. He smiled warmly at her.

"I missed you, too," he replied. His faced turned curious, "Can I ask you something?" Dragon was surprised; she knew she would have to explain things, but he asking made it slightly easier.

"Sure."

"What happened in the past?" Dragon took a breath.

Claira took a step back and smiled at Seto in his suit.

"Nice suit, care to dance?" Seto took her hand and walked out onto the floor.

"You expected me to be in the office?"

"Why wouldn't I? You really need to get out more." The danced slowly to the music.

And I know this

Is just a beautiful elusion

A case of the confusion

Between love and desire.

"I can really tell you because I don't know. I've only had a few dreams that don't seem to fit together." Dragon said.

"Same here."

"I know your name is Atem." She smiled at him.

Your heart is pulling

If I didn't know any better

I'd be falling

Deeper and deeper it's true.

"Why did this have to happen?" Atem asked. Dragon looked down.

"I don't know, and I probably never will. All I know is… this friendship won't work."

I hear it calling

If I didn't know any

And I'd be in love

When the flame burns out

And finally settles down

And you forget

I ever came around!

"It doesn't have to; you can stop it easily!" Atem said encouragingly

"Not anymore… I'm sorry Atem…" Tears welled in her eyes and she turned to walk away.

Your heart is pulling

If I didn't know any better

Deeper and deeper it's true

I hear it calling

If I didn't know any better

And I'd be in love

With you.

Atem could only stand in shock as Dragon disappeared into the crowd. Why was she giving in so easily?

I turned around

Before I could run

I found you already settled down

In the back of my mind.

"So you're the pharaoh himself!" Spice smiled as Atem turned in surprise. "It's an honor to meet you, pharaoh." She curtseyed slightly. The cautious look didn't fade from Atem's face.

Seto and Claira finished dancing and Claira smiled.

"You dance very well for a CEO," she complimented.

"I've been to many business dances before." He replied.

"And you actually danced? I have to admit my surprise." The sarcasm in her voice was evident. She laughed and he smiled wide. She wasn't what he had expected and now he was noticing her beauty.

"I'm Spice, one of the Kidera sisters. You know my sister very well don't you," Spice said as she walked up to Atem. He hesitated.

"I thought so," Atem replied. "How well do you know her?" Spice smiled and walked out of the crowd with Atem following.

"I can't even imagine what goes on in her head. One minute she's loyal to the family the next she's crying about her decision." Spice turned around to see Atem's attentive look. "I'd call it intensive mood swings. She really likes you, Pharaoh." There was a pause. "Anyway, I've got guys to flirt with." She grabbed a cup from the food bar and walked past Atem. "Watch your back."

Atem stood for a moment, before deciding to search for Dragon Heart. Where she went was a mystery. He wanted to talk to her without bringing up the family issues; hopefully before the night ended.

Fang had danced with Joey for a song. It wasn't much of a dance because Fang had to teach Joey most of the steps. She didn't seem to mind, though, and had a good attitude. Joey was smiling, but Fang could tell he was red in the face even when she was looking at his feet. When the song ended Fang smiled at him.

"You dance well!" She said. Joey chuckled.

"You're betta dan me."

"That doesn't mean I'm perfect." They laughed and another faster song started. It was a techno song with no words. "This is more like it!" Fang said as she began to dance. Claira was walking out of the large room with Seto when the song came on. She froze and grabbed Seto's arm. He turned and looked at her.

"Let's dance to this first," she said as she dragged him back onto the floor. The rhythm moved them both and in no time they danced freely. Atem had just made it outside and didn't even notice the music. He looked around and saw Dragon Heart sitting on a bench in the moonlight. A silver sparrow-sized bird sat on the bench and looked at her as she spoke.

"…I just don't know what to think." She finished. Atem could hear the remnant of tears in her voice. Dragon Heart felt the warmth of Atem's jacket on her shoulders and she jumped. When she looked at him the stains on her face showed she had cried. "We shouldn't be together."

"Not even as friends?" He sat by her and she leaned on his shoulder. "Let's not talk about that anymore." She sighed in relief and wiped the remnants of tears away.

"Ok…how's Crouton doing?" Atem winced.

"Um…we had a problem with Crouton." Dragon sat up and looked at him.

"What kind of problem?" She asked with a smile.

"Well, he went crazy and flew off."

"Did you give him anything he was allergic to?"

"Like what?"

"Bread, saltwater…"

"Yugi fed him part of a sandwich." Dragon laughed. Atem smiled at her sudden perked-up attitude; that made him feel better.

"That's ok; he'll show up here in a little bit."

"Good, we were kind of worried."

"Yeah, we had that problem plenty of times when he was at our house. He and his sister would rampage everywhere."

"He has a sister?"

"Yup; her name's Pretzel. She's allergic to salt instead." They continued to talk about random, normal things. A silent shadow darkened the grass behind them. Gormize frowned angrily at the pharaoh near his daughter, but stayed back. He had a plan to keep his daughter's destiny on the right track. He turned and silently disappeared back into the ballroom. Atem stood and smiled down at Dragon Heart.

"How about another dance?" He asked with a smile. Dragon Heart stood and took his hands.

"Sure," she replied. They walked back toward the dance, but stopped just where they could hear the music. They danced for the whole song.

Claira and Seto finished dancing and were both out of breath from the upbeat music. They smiled at each other.

"Ok, now we can go," Claira said. Seto led the way and they left the large dance floor. Before the two could get anywhere, Gormize appeared in front of them. "Father? What do you want?"

"We need to talk," Gormize said. Claira made a disappointed face.

"Now?" Gormize thought for a minute.

"No, but before the night is over, I need you to come to me."

"Ok." Gormize walked away and Claira gave a ragged sigh. Seto glared at the leaving man.

"He's very serious," Seto said. Claira was looking down and smiled at his remark.

"Yeah, reminds me of you," she said. Seto looked at her and she smiled up at him.

The song ended and Dragon Heart laughed for reasons unknown. Atem smiled and laughed with her. They went back into the ballroom and Dragon spotted Joey dancing with Fang. She smiled.

"Fang is very fond of Joey," she said. Yami looked at the two.

"Yeah, Joey likes her, too," Atem said. Dragon led Atem into the crowd and up to Fang and Joey as they finished dancing. Fang looked up and saw the two.

"Hey, Fang; having fun?" Dragon said. Fang smiled.

"I am," she said, "You?" Dragon nodded.

"This is…Yugi," she said using that name on purpose.

"Nice to meet you, Yugi," Fang curtseyed slightly. The two sisters talked and Joey talked to Atem.

"Hey, how's it goin?" Joey asked. Atem thought for a second.

"I don't think I can change her mind," He replied.

"Why did she change?"

"That's just her decision; I can't figure it out. I think just enjoying the night will help her more than talking about it."

"Wow, alright."

"So how is it going for you?" Atem asked. Joey smiled wide.

"Great." He said, "Fang is awesome." Dragon and Atem enjoyed the rest of the night dancing and just having a ball.

After everyone began to leave, Dragon had to say goodbye. She didn't want to, but it was the last time she would ever see him.

"Atem, I've had a wonderful time," she said as she smiled at him. "I wish it wouldn't end."

"Me, too," Atem said. He leaned in and they kissed. Then he left. Dragon stood there for a while as he disappeared. Panthera appeared behind her.

"Wow, he's a hotty for being the bad guy," she said. Dragon smiled but didn't reply. She turned and headed back into the mansion. The decorations were already being taken down, and the trash swept up. It was close to one in the morning; Dragon was feeling tired. Panthera followed her sister silently, but Dragon knew she was there.

"So, did you find anyone yourself?" Dragon asked. Panthera sighed.

"Not really; all the guys were jerks. Claira's getting close to Kaiba, Fangs got some guy named Joey, and Spice found a guy named…what was it, Andrew? I feel left out." Dragon Heart smiled at her tone and felt like drawing.

"I'm going to head to bed." She said and walked off. She didn't want to talk to anyone now, and the only thing she could think about was the overwhelming pain in her chest. The things coming up were coming so fast it made her sick. The ball had passed quickly and she had enjoyed every minute of it. Atem was her love and she had to say goodbye forever. Dragon Heart closed the door behind her and stared with sleepy eyes at the small dragon on her bed. Pretzel lifted her head and glowed at her owner. Her light red scales were clean and her black eyes smiled at Dragon Heart.

"Hey, Pretzel, have you seen Crouton?" Dragon asked slowly and softly. Pretzel gave a crackly squawk and flew to the window. Dragon followed and opened the window. Crouton flew in and landed on the bed. Dragon had to smile. "I knew you'd be back, how is it at Yugi's house?" The little lizard squawked and purred for a little while as Dragon changed into her nightgown. When Crouton finished, Dragon fell onto her bed and swooped him into her arms. She lied on her back and put him on her stomach. Pretzel jumped onto the bed and lied next to her.

"Oh, Crouton," she sighed. The dragon looked at her intently. "This is way out of my hands right?" She sat up, put Crouton on the ground, and climbed back into bed. "Pretzel, will you get the light for me?" She did as she was told and Dragon Heart slept. The ball was done. The night was over. Or so she thought…


	18. Meeting the Master

Dragon Heart awoke at the sound of her door opening and sat up swiftly

Okay, I know I owe you guys serious apology, but YGO just loss my interest about….how long ago, three years? I'm sorry, but I've grown as a writer and when I got a few reviews on this I wanted to finish it once and for all. I hope my lack of knowledge about my own story doesn't mess ya'll up sowy again, and hope you like how I finish this!

**Meeting the Master**

Dragon Heart awoke at the sound of her door opening and sat up swiftly. She saw a large figure in the doorway, and squinted at the light streaming through. She still hadn't changed out of her dress and felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Father?" She asked with a low tone. He stepped in stiffly.

"Come with me, my daughter," he said. Dragon knew the time had come and she stood slowly. Her heart sank as they stepped out of her room and her sisters were there. None of them would look her in the eyes, but she did not blame them. This was not their fault. Her father was glowing with hostility, and Dragon did not want to set him off with her curiosity. She knew this was important and some sort of ritual. The hallway never seemed so long and cold. Finally, her father walked into a large open room with cold stone floors and a high ceiling. Dragon Heart's sisters filed in after her, but looked unimpressed by the new room. Dragon on the other hand had never seen this room before. She felt nervous, but calm.

At the end of the large room stood three menacing stones of the great Dragons that her family worshiped. She knew what was coming.

Yugi stood in his room with the holographic pharaoh in front of him. They had talked almost all night, but it had not stopped Atem from worrying about Dragon Heart.

"She just seemed surrendered to her fate, but I know we can help her," Atem said. Yugi was looking at the ground in heavy thought. The silence was a little unnerving.

"You may be right, but we can't do anything until we see Talon. I'm worried he might be trying something…" His voice trailed off as the static in the air increased. Yugi could feel it pricking his skin uncomfortably. "Do you feel that?" he asked. Atem was already looking out of the window in fear.

"It is happening tonight!" He whispered strongly. "We need to find Talon!" He had hardly finished before Yugi swept up the millennium puzzle and ran out of the room.

Kaiba sat at his desk and scribbled on a piece of paper. The sun was just lighting up the sky, but some light clouds had drifted into the milky sky. Craigfire had been restless all morning, and now stood at the window and whimpered lightly. Kaiba stopped writing and stared at the beast. The light of the sky highlighted the powerful muscles of the dragon and reflected in his deep eyes. But something else was glowing in the dragon's eyes; a sense of worry and agitation. Its worry was infecting Kaiba, and he stood.

"What is it, Craigfire?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. Craigfire turned to him and the whimpering grew louder.

"Bad air," The dragon informed him nervously.

Now that Kaiba was focused he could feel something in the air as well; an energy that thickened the air around him. He flashed back to the ball of the precious evening. He smiled at his own actions and how foolish it seemed now. But was their something off about the night? Something he had missed while enjoying his time with Claira? No, she was just as adventurous as ever. But he still felt odd. Suddenly he remembered the wristlet that he had been given when he first met Claira. It was surprisingly cold on his wrist. Craigfire had approached him now and croaked sadly, nudging him on the shoulder.

"Okay, boy, we'll go out for a morning flight, how about that," He patted the beasts head, but it still didn't calm.

"Don't like air," He said, following Kaiba out of the room and down the hall. They had to go to the roof.

"I don't know what it is, but it can't be that bad. It must be a rain or something." Craigfire was silent until they reached the roof.

Dragon Heart felt the energy of the room grow as all around her as her family bowed to the large statues. The symbols on one of the dragon's foreheads began to glow. She recognized the one dragon as Odious, the others remained silent. Odious's voice rumbled.

"_**My dear princess…" **_He hissed, "_**I am pleased to see you.**_"

"The feeling is not mutual," Dragon spat. Odious's eyes gleamed for a moment before he continued.

"_**Although we have you, my dear power source, we cannot proceed without all of us here.**_" Dragon now realized that Yugi and Talon had the other cards with the dragons' souls attached. She sighed lightly at the faint glimmer of hope.

"Master," Dragon's father spoke formally.

"_**Speak.**_"

"You will not need to wait long, my Master. We have sent for your brethren." Dragon's eyes widened at the thought of Yugi and Talon being surprised at midnight by a hoard of men. She trembled.

"_**Do not fear for your pharaoh, my princess. We need him as much as you do.**_" Dragon was confused, but the meeting was over. The glowing symbol faded and she was shuffled out of the room. Claira spoke.

"Do you wish me to find Kaiba?" She asked her father. He only gave the faintest nod, sending Claira away. Dragon sent a final glare at Claira's back before looking up at her father.

"Father?" she squeaked. He did not answer. They arrived at Dragon's room and he opened the door for her. Dragon Heart stepped in and looked back in time to see Spice step into the room before the door shut. She looked tired, but Dragon wasn't deceived.

"Don't think you can just walk in here and sooth me," Dragon hissed angrily. Spice did not flinch.

"I know you don't want to do this, and all of us understand how scared you are…"

"No. No you don't, Spice. You all had freedom and were happy serving those…those _beasts_." Dragon spoke coldly. Spice understood her anger and stepped toward the door.

"I just want you to know that we all still love you as sisters, and as friends." She left without Dragon saying another word. Spice's words were hollow and fragile. There was nothing that told her that they could accept her as Tracy instead of Dragon Heart.

Kaiba landed Craigfire on a distant building and watched as the sun crept behind a large pale gray cloud. Craigfire huffed under Kaiba and flicked the end of his tail nervously. The soothing wind and joy of flight had not removed either one's nerves. Craigfire tensed as Claira stepped onto the roof from the door in the corner. Kaiba glanced at her from his mount.

"Took a bit to find you," Claira said. Craigfire's tension did not release, and it made Kaiba even more worried.

"Why were you looking for me?" Kaiba asked, attempting to remain calm. Claira approached casually.

"You were chosen for a reason for all of this crazy nonsense, and you finally get to see why," she replied. She touched Craigfire's side and Kaiba felt him relax quickly. This dragon was much smarter than he appeared. His eyes remained hard, but he only voiced his concern to Kaiba.

"I don't like this…" His voice in Kaiba's head was soft. Kaiba understood, but still could not bring himself to distrust Claira.

"Okay, Claira," Kaiba said finally. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere right now, but around….oh, noon, maybe? Be at the Kaiba Corp. building. I'll meet you there," With that she walked away and back down the stairs. Kaiba was too curious about the news to notice Craigfire's aggravated growl.

Yugi was out of breath by the time he reached Talon's house, and he did not like what he saw. The door had been blown completely off of its hinges. As he stepped through the broken doorway he found the entire house uprooted. He saw the torn up kitchen, living room, and hallway before glancing upstairs. He jumped when a vase crashed out of sight on the second floor. Talon slid into view and raced down the stairs. He barely even glanced at Yugi before grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Do you have the card?" Talon spat. Yugi blinked. "Do you!?" He said louder. Yugi stammered and shuffled in his pockets. "Don't show me! Let's go!" He grabbed Yugi's arm and raced out of the door. Yugi heard a man shout from the top of the stairs, and glanced back. The man was huge and lumbered down the stairs heavily.

Talon and Yugi ran for quite some time before finally stopping for breath. Yugi did not even have to ask before Talon explained.

"He came early this morning," Talon breathed, "The Shadow Flames are trying to get together…and I feel they are trying to finish what they started years ago." Yugi noticed the cuts and bruises Talon wore as he spoke.

"Did they get it?" Yugi asked, dreading the answer.

"No, I still have it," Talon replied, touching his pocket gently. Yugi sighed. This was getting serious.

"We need to find the others."

"You're right. I'm not sure how much longer we have," Talon looked up to the sky. It was beginning to fill with wispy gray clouds.

Fang stepped out into the warm fresh air outside of Kaiba Corp. She stretched and looked up into the sky. Right on time, Kaiba and Craigfire flew into view. It was noon now and the sun shown weakly through the new clouds. She said nothing as Kaiba approached with his dragon as close as his shadow. Fang did not know about bringing Craigfire, but she just turned and led them into the entrance. Kaiba shivered at the surge of power that struck him as he entered the building. It was cold, and again, Craigfire moaned nervously.

Kind of short, but it has a bit in it. I like it this way, and the next stopping point would have been too far off. Hope you guys forgive me :P

R&R, of course :D


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